CN211193867U - Rotary joint device and exoskeleton equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a rotary joint device and an exoskeleton device. The rotary joint device comprises: a first bone structure; a second bone structure, which is rotatably connected with the first bone structure; and a magnetic unit, which is arranged on the first bone structure. Structurally, it moves synchronously with the first skeletal structure; a coding unit is arranged on the second skeletal structure and moves synchronously with the second skeletal structure; wherein the coding unit is spaced from the magnetic unit set, and can detect the relative rotation of the first skeletal structure and the second skeletal structure according to the change of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic unit when the first skeletal structure and the second skeletal structure rotate relative to each other angle. Since the encoding unit and the magnetic unit are arranged at intervals, there is no problem of damage due to friction between the two, which provides a guarantee for the accuracy of the detection of the rotation angle of the rotary joint device.

Description

Rotary joint device and exoskeleton equipment

technical field

The utility model relates to the technical field of mechanical exoskeletons, in particular to a rotary joint device and exoskeleton equipment.

Background technique

The emergence of VR technology (VR is the abbreviation of Virtual Reality, the Chinese name is virtual reality technology) has changed the way humans interact with computers. In virtual reality scenarios, in order to enhance users' perception of the virtual world, exoskeletons are often applied. device to capture the user's movements.

Among them, the exoskeleton device is usually provided with a rotating joint device matching the human body, so that the user can move more smoothly after wearing the exoskeleton device. In order to complete the capture of the user's motion, it is usually necessary to set an angle sensor connected to the rotary joint device to detect the rotation angle of the rotary joint device. Most of the current angle sensors use a potentiometer-type contact design, which is easy to wear during use, which not only affects the accuracy of motion capture, but also reduces the service life of exoskeleton equipment.

Utility model content

The utility model provides a rotary joint device and an exoskeleton device, which aim to improve the capture accuracy of the user's action and improve the service life of the exoskeleton device.

A rotary joint device, comprising: a first skeletal structure; a second skeletal structure rotatably connected to the first skeletal structure; a magnetic unit arranged on the first skeletal structure and synchronized with the first skeletal structure movement; an encoding unit is arranged on the second skeletal structure and moves synchronously with the second skeletal structure; wherein, the encoding unit is arranged at a distance from the magnetic unit, and can be located between the first skeletal structure and the magnetic unit. When the second skeletal structure rotates relatively, the relative rotation angle of the first skeletal structure and the second skeletal structure is detected according to the change of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic unit.

Further, one of the first skeletal structure and the second skeletal structure is provided with a rotating shaft, and the other is provided with a mounting hole; the rotating shaft is mounted in the mounting hole and can be installed in the mounting hole. Rotation within the hole to achieve relative rotation between the first bone structure and the second bone structure.

Further, one of the magnetic unit and the encoding unit is disposed on the rotating shaft, and the other is disposed in the installation hole.

Further, an end surface of one end of the rotating shaft extending into the installation hole is provided with a receiving hole, the magnetic unit is arranged in the receiving hole, and the encoding unit is arranged on the bottom surface of the installation hole.

Further, the rotary joint device further includes a bearing, the bearing is sleeved on one end of the rotating shaft for being inserted into the installation hole; a support structure is arranged in the installation hole for supporting the bearing, in order to separate the magnetic unit from the encoding unit.

Further, the installation hole is a through hole passing through the second bone structure; the rotary joint device further includes a circuit board, which is arranged on the side of the second bone structure away from the first bone structure, and is connected with the second bone structure. The mounting holes are opposite to each other, and the encoding unit is arranged on the circuit board and is located in the mounting holes.

Further, the rotary joint device further includes a magnetic isolation structure disposed on the inner wall of the installation hole, and the magnetic isolation structure can shield the magnetic field outside the installation hole to prevent the external magnetic field from interfering with the encoding unit.

Further, the inner wall of the mounting hole is provided with an arc-shaped groove, and the arc-shaped groove is coaxial with the mounting hole; the side wall of the rotating shaft is provided with a protrusion, and when the rotating shaft is matched with the mounting hole, the The protrusion is located in the arc-shaped groove to limit the movement of the first bone structure relative to the second bone structure in the axial direction of the rotation shaft.

Further, the distance between the magnetic unit and the encoding unit is 0.1 mm to 5 mm.

An exoskeleton device includes the rotary joint device according to any one of the above.

The rotary joint device provided by the utility model checks the relative rotation angle of the two skeletal structures of the rotary joint device through the cooperation of the coding unit and the magnetic unit. Since the coding unit and the magnetic unit are arranged at intervals, there will be no friction between the two. The problem of damage provides a guarantee for the accuracy of the detection of the rotation angle of the rotary joint device.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a hand exoskeleton device provided by the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the assembly schematic diagram of the force feedback element provided by the utility model;

3 is a schematic structural diagram of a force feedback rod provided by the utility model;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the mounting hole provided by the utility model;

Fig. 5 is the side view of the force feedback rod provided by the utility model;

Fig. 6 is the exploded view of the joint of the finger mechanism and the palm mechanism provided by the utility model;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the joint of the glove structure and the finger connecting rod provided by the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present utility model, the present utility model will be more fully described below with reference to the related drawings. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that a thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure is provided.

It should be noted that, when an element is referred to as being "fixed to, mounted on, or disposed on" another element and similar language, it can be directly on the other element or an intervening element may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected or connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The terms used in the description of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As shown in FIG. 1 , this embodiment provides a hand exoskeleton device for wearing by a human hand. The hand exoskeleton device includes a palm mechanism 10 for binding with the palm of a human hand, and for connecting with a human hand. The finger mechanism 20 with the fingers bound together, in order to make the hand exoskeleton device more flexible, the finger mechanism 20 and the palm mechanism 10 are rotatably connected, that is, a rotary joint device is formed between the finger mechanism 20 and the palm mechanism 10 at this time.

Of course, in order to make the hand exoskeleton device more flexible, other parts with rotational connections of the hand exoskeleton device can also form a corresponding rotary joint device. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the finger mechanism 20 includes a human finger. The moving finger link 201, and the finger cover structure 202 for fixing human fingers on the finger link 201, the finger cover structure 202 is rotatably connected with the finger link 201, at this time the finger cover structure 202 is connected with the finger link 201 A rotary joint device is also formed between them.

For another example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the hand exoskeleton device also has a force feedback element 30 connected to the finger link 201 for providing force feedback for the human finger so that the user can obtain a tactile experience. Wherein, in this embodiment, the force feedback element 30 is disposed between the finger mechanism 20 and the palm mechanism 10 . The force feedback element 30 has a casing 1 and a force feedback rod 2 rotatably arranged in the casing 1, wherein the casing 1 is rotatably connected with the palm mechanism 10, and the force feedback rod 2 is fixedly connected with the finger link 201.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the casing 1 includes an upper casing 11 , a lower casing 12 and a middle casing 13 located between the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 12 . 's cavity. One end of the force feedback rod 2 extends into the cavity and is rotatably connected to the middle shell 13 , that is, a rotary joint device is also formed between the middle shell 13 and the force feedback rod 2 at this time.

In order to capture the user's hand motion information, the user's hand motion information is usually acquired by acquiring the rotation angle of each rotary joint device of the hand exoskeleton device. In order to avoid the problem that the existing angle sensor is easy to wear and reduce the inaccuracy of the user's hand motion information, the hand exoskeleton device mentioned in this embodiment has improved the rotation joint devices everywhere. The configuration of the rotary joint device of the present invention will be described below by taking the rotary joint device composed of the middle shell 13 and the force feedback rod 2 as an example.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the rotary joint device has a force feedback rod 2 (which can be regarded as the first skeletal structure of the rotary joint device) and a middle shell 13 (which can be regarded as the second skeletal structure). It also includes a magnetic unit 3 and an encoding unit 4 .

The magnetic unit 3 is fixed on the force feedback rod 2 so as to move synchronously with the force feedback rod 2 ; the encoding unit 4 is fixed on the middle casing 13 so as to move synchronously with the middle casing 13 . In this way, when the force feedback rod 2 and the middle shell 13 rotate relative to each other, the magnetic unit 3 and the encoding unit 4 will also rotate relative to each other, and the encoding unit 4 can detect the relative rotation angle between the two according to the change of the magnetic field of the magnetic unit 3, and then The angle of relative rotation between the force feedback rod 2 and the middle shell 13 is obtained. In addition, in this embodiment, the coding unit 4 and the magnetic unit 3 are arranged at intervals, so that there is no friction between the two during relative rotation, which can avoid the problem of damage due to friction between the two, which is a force feedback The detection accuracy of the relative rotation angle of the rod 2 and the middle shell 13 provides a guarantee.

In this embodiment, the magnetic unit 3 can be a magnet, and the encoding unit 4 can be an electromagnetic encoder. Of course, in other embodiments, the magnetic unit 3 may also use an electromagnet that is energized to generate magnetism, such as an electromagnetic coil. In addition, in order to enable the encoding unit 4 to detect the rotation angle of the magnetic unit 3 more accurately, and to prevent the encoding unit 4 and the magnetic unit 3 from shaking and colliding when rotating, in this embodiment, the magnetic unit 3 and the encoding unit 4 The spacing between them is 0.1mm to 5mm.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the force feedback rod 2 includes a first rod body 21 and a rotating shaft 22 disposed on the first rod body 21 ; the middle shell 13 includes a main body 131 and a mounting hole disposed on the main body 131 132. The rotating shaft 22 is installed in the installation hole 132 and can rotate in the installation hole 132 , so that the force feedback rod 2 can rotate relative to the middle shell 13 . It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the rotating shaft 22 may also be provided on the middle shell 13 , and the mounting hole 132 may be provided on the force feedback rod 2 .

In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 22 and the first rod body 21 may be integrally formed. In other embodiments, the rotating shaft 22 and the first rod body 21 can also be composed of two independent components, and the two are connected together by means of bonding, clamping or the like. For example, the first rod body 21 is provided with holes. , the rotating shaft is embedded in the hole to realize the connection between the two. In addition, in this embodiment, the mounting holes 132 are directly opened on the main body 131. Of course, in other embodiments, the mounting holes 132 can also be opened on other components, and the components are set on the on the body 131 .

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the magnetic unit 3 is arranged on the rotating shaft 22, and the encoding unit 4 is arranged in the installation hole 132, and the two are opposite to each other, so that not only the collision of the encoding unit 4 can be avoided, but also the The volume of the middle shell 13. In addition, it should be understood that the part of the magnetic unit 3 opposite to the encoding unit 4 has N pole and S pole, so that the encoding unit 4 can check the rotation angle of the magnetic unit 3 according to the change of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic unit 3 . For example, the magnetic unit 3 is a columnar magnet, the two ends of which are respectively N pole and S pole, and the side wall of which is connected to the rotating shaft 22 . It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the magnetic unit 3 may also be arranged in the installation hole 132 , and the encoding unit 4 may be arranged on the rotating shaft 22 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , in this embodiment, the end face of the end of the rotating shaft 22 extending into the mounting hole 132 is provided with a receiving hole 221, and the magnetic unit 3 is installed in the receiving hole 221, so that the volume of the rotating shaft 22 can be reduced, In addition, the influence of the magnetic unit 3 on the design of the force feedback rod 2 is reduced, so that the production design of the rotary joint device with the angle detection function is simpler. In addition, in this embodiment, the encoding unit 4 is directly mounted on the bottom surface of the mounting hole 132, so as to simplify the production design of the rotary joint device. In addition, in this embodiment, the magnetic unit 3 can be fixed in the accommodating hole 221 by gluing. Of course, the magnetic unit 3 can also be fixed in the accommodating hole 221 by a card or the like. At this time, the shape and size of the accommodating hole 221 can be matched with the shape and size of the magnetic unit 3, so that the magnetic unit 3 can be directly embedded in the accommodating hole. 221.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the rotary joint device further includes a bearing 5 , and the bearing 5 is sleeved on one end of the rotating shaft 22 for being inserted into the installation hole 132 . The mounting hole 132 is a stepped hole. After the rotating shaft 22 is inserted into the mounting hole 132 , the bearing 5 abuts on the stepped surface 1321 of the mounting hole 132 , thereby separating the magnetic unit 3 from the encoding unit 4 . At the same time, the arrangement of the bearing 5 can also make the relative rotation between the force feedback rod 2 and the middle shell 13 more flexible, thereby making the exoskeleton device more flexible and comfortable to wear.

It can be understood that, in other embodiments, supporting structures such as corresponding protrusions may also be provided on the inner wall of the mounting hole 132 to support the bearing 5 . Of course, in other embodiments, there may be no bearing 5 , that is, the rotating shaft 22 is directly slidably fitted with the mounting hole 132 . At this time, the rotating shaft 22 and the inner wall of the mounting hole 132 may be respectively provided with a limit structure capable of engaging and abutting. , so that the magnetic unit 3 and the coding unit 4 are separated. For example, the rotating shaft 22 is a stepped shaft, and the mounting hole 132 is a stepped hole.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the rotary joint device further includes a circuit board 6 , and the encoding unit 4 is electrically connected to the circuit board 6 . The circuit board 6 is provided with a main control chip and the like, and the angle signal obtained by the encoding unit 4 will be transmitted to the main control chip for further processing. At the same time, the circuit board 6 is connected to the power supply, so that the circuit board 6 can supply power to the encoding unit 4 .

In this embodiment, in order to make production and assembly more convenient, the mounting holes 132 are directly designed as through holes. The circuit board 6 is installed on the side of the middle shell 13 away from the first skeletal structure and is opposite to the installation hole 132 .

In this embodiment, the inner wall of the mounting hole 132 is further provided with a magnetic isolation layer, and the magnetic isolation layer may be a plating layer such as a nickel layer plated inside the mounting hole 132 . The magnetic isolation layer can shield the magnetic field outside the installation hole 132, that is, the magnetic field inside and outside the installation hole 132 can be separated by the magnetic isolation layer, so as to prevent the external magnetic field from interfering with the work of the encoding unit 4, and improve the accuracy of the angle detection of the encoding unit 4 Spend.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , in this embodiment, the inner wall of the installation hole 132 is provided with an arc-shaped groove 1322 , the arc-shaped groove 1322 is coaxial with the installation hole 132 , and the arc-shaped groove 1322 is arranged horizontally. The side wall of the rotating shaft 22 is provided with a protrusion 222. When the rotating shaft 22 is matched with the installation hole 132, the protrusion 122 is located in the arc-shaped groove 1322. When the rotating shaft 22 rotates in the installation hole 132, the protrusion 222 is also in the arc shape. Slot 1322 rotates inside. In addition, the arrangement of the protrusion 222 is matched with the arc groove 1322 to prevent the mounting hole 132 of the rotating shaft 22 from bouncing in the axial direction after fitting, so as to prevent the force feedback rod 2 from moving relative to the middle shell 13 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 22 . Specifically, in this embodiment, the protrusion 222 is a cylinder whose axis is perpendicular to the axis of the rotating shaft 22 , the cross-street surface of the arc-shaped groove 1322 is a rectangle, and the diameter of the protrusion 222 is equal to the width of the arc-shaped groove 1322 , so that the mounting hole 132 of the rotating shaft 22 can be prevented from bouncing in the axial direction after fitting. It can be understood that, in other embodiments, the protrusions 222 and the arc-shaped grooves 1322 may also be provided in other structures, for example, the protrusions 22 are hemispherical structures, and the cross-street surfaces of the arc-shaped grooves 1322 are arc-shaped.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the inner wall of the installation hole 132 is further provided with a guide groove 1323 , which is opened by the end of the side wall of the installation hole 132 and communicated with the arc-shaped groove 1322 . When the rotating shaft 22 is inserted into the mounting hole 132, the protrusion 222 enters the arc-shaped groove 1322 from the guide groove. In addition, in this embodiment, the guide grooves 1323 are arranged vertically to facilitate the protrusions 222 to enter the arc-shaped grooves 1322 .

It can be understood that the rotary joint devices of other parts of the hand exoskeleton device can also adopt similar settings. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , where the finger mechanism 20 cooperates with the palm mechanism 10 The force feedback element 30) corresponds to the first skeletal structure, and the palm mechanism 10 corresponds to the second skeletal structure. Furthermore, here, the mounting holes 132 are provided on another element 7 which is fixed to the palm mechanism 10 . For another example, as shown in FIG. 7 , where the glove mechanism 202 cooperates with the finger link 201 , the glove mechanism 202 corresponds to the first bone structure, and the finger link 201 corresponds to the second bone structure. At this time, in other exoskeleton devices used for human body wear, as long as these exoskeleton devices have a rotary joint device, the structure at the rotary joint device can adopt the setting method described in any of the above embodiments.

The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are not described. However, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of these technical features, All should be regarded as the scope described in this specification.

The above-mentioned embodiments only represent several embodiments of the present utility model, and the descriptions thereof are specific and detailed, but should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the utility model patent. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, some modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent for this utility model shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A rotary joint device, comprising:

a first bone structure;

a second skeletal structure rotationally coupled to the first skeletal structure;

a magnetic unit disposed on the first skeletal structure and moving synchronously with the first skeletal structure;

the coding unit is arranged on the second skeleton structure and moves synchronously with the second skeleton structure;

the coding unit and the magnetic unit are arranged at intervals, and can detect the relative rotation angle of the first bone structure and the second bone structure according to the change of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic unit when the first bone structure and the second bone structure rotate relatively.

2. The rotary joint device according to claim 1, wherein one of said first bone structure and said second bone structure is provided with a rotation shaft, and the other is provided with a mounting hole;

the rotating shaft is mounted within the mounting hole and is capable of rotating within the mounting hole to effect relative rotation between the first and second skeletal structures.

3. The rotary joint device according to claim 2, wherein one of the magnetic unit and the coding unit is provided on the rotary shaft, and the other is provided in the mounting hole.

4. The rotary joint device according to claim 3, wherein an end surface of the rotary shaft at an end projecting into the mounting hole is provided with a receiving hole, the magnet unit is provided in the receiving hole, and the code unit is provided on a bottom surface of the mounting hole.

5. The rotary joint device according to claim 4, further comprising a bearing fitted around one end of the rotary shaft for fitting into the mounting hole;

a support structure is disposed in the mounting hole for supporting the bearing to space the magnetic unit from the coding unit.

6. The rotary joint device according to claim 4, wherein the mounting hole is a through hole passing through the second bone structure;

the rotary joint device further comprises a circuit board which is arranged on one side, far away from the first skeleton structure, of the second skeleton structure and opposite to the mounting hole, and the coding unit is arranged on the circuit board and located in the mounting hole.

7. The rotary joint device according to claim 2, further comprising a magnetism shielding layer provided on an inner wall of the mounting hole, the magnetism shielding layer being capable of shielding a magnetic field outside the mounting hole from an external magnetic field to interfere with the encoding unit.

8. The rotary joint device according to claim 2, wherein an arc-shaped groove is formed on an inner wall of the mounting hole, and the arc-shaped groove is coaxial with the mounting hole;

the side wall of the rotating shaft is provided with a protrusion, and when the rotating shaft is matched with the mounting hole, the protrusion is positioned in the arc-shaped groove so as to limit the first skeleton structure to move relative to the second skeleton structure in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

9. The rotary joint device according to claim 1, wherein a spacing between the magnetic unit and the coding unit is 0.1mm to 5 mm.

10. An exoskeleton device comprising a revolute joint assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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