US 12,414,866 B2
Smart knee joint for a human lower limb exoskeleton, a prosthesis and an orthosis
Wei-Hsin Liao, Hong Kong (CN); and Fei Gao, Neijiang (CN)
Assigned to The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (CN)
Filed by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (CN)
Filed on Nov. 4, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/453,600.
Claims priority of application No. 202110834335.3 (CN), filed on Jul. 21, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0025654 A1, Jan. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. A61F 2/64 (2006.01); A61B 5/107 (2006.01); A61F 2/68 (2006.01); A61F 2/70 (2006.01); A61F 2/74 (2006.01); A61F 5/01 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); A61F 2/50 (2006.01); A61F 2/76 (2006.01)
CPC A61F 2/64 (2013.01) [A61B 5/1071 (2013.01); A61F 2/68 (2013.01); A61F 2/74 (2021.08); A61F 2/748 (2021.08); A61F 5/0123 (2013.01); B25J 9/0006 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0219 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5003 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5004 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5006 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5073 (2013.01); A61F 2002/5079 (2013.01); A61F 2002/6818 (2013.01); A61F 2002/6836 (2013.01); A61F 2002/6845 (2013.01); A61F 2002/6854 (2013.01); A61F 2002/701 (2013.01); A61F 2002/704 (2013.01); A61F 2002/7615 (2013.01); A61F 2005/0155 (2013.01); A61F 2005/0169 (2013.01); A61F 2005/0179 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A smart knee joint for a human lower limb exoskeleton, a prosthesis, and an orthosis, attached to a knee joint, comprising:
1) a motor driving unit or a controllable damping unit, the motor driving unit including a motor and a transmission, and having two working modes: a generator mode and an actuator mode, the motor driving unit being adjusted to a corresponding working mode based on states and walking modes of the knee joint;
2) an elastic energy storage unit including an elastic element, a transmission, and a working mode regulator, the elastic energy storage unit having three working modes: being locked mode, free mode, and energy dissipation mode, the elastic energy storage unit being adjusted to a corresponding working mode based on states and walking modes of the knee joint, wherein the working mode regulator comprises a magnetorheological damper and a restoring spring;
3) sensors for detecting the motion of the knee joint;
4) a controller for monitoring the states and the walking modes of the knee joint in real-time based on signals of the sensors, and generating control signals for the elastic energy storage unit and the motor driving unit or the controllable damping unit;
5) a power supply for powering the motor driving unit, the controllable damping unit, the elastic energy storage unit, the sensors, and the controller, and storing electric energy recovered by the motor, the power supply being one or both of a battery and a supercapacitor; and
6) connecting devices comprising a thigh connecting device and a shank connecting device.