US 12,485,557 B2
Elastic balancing of loads in an exoskeleton
Luca De Guglielmo, Genoa (IT); Gianluca Capitta, Genoa (IT); Matteo Laffranchi, Genoa (IT); and Lorenzo De Michieli, Genoa (IT)
Assigned to FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA, Genoa (IT); and I.N.A.I.L. ISTITUTO NAZIONALE PER L'ASSICURAZIONE CONTRO GLI INFORTUNISUL LAVORO, Rome (IT)
Appl. No. 18/501,878
Filed by FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA, Genoa (IT); and I.N.A.I.L. ISTITUTO NAZIONALE PER L'ASSICURAZIONE CONTRO GLI INFORTUNI SUL LAVORO, Rome (IT)
PCT Filed May 3, 2022, PCT No. PCT/IB2022/054070
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 3, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/234446, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 10, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 102021000011273 (IT), filed on May 4, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0316798 A1, Sep. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. B25J 19/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/10 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 19/0016 (2013.01) [B25J 9/0006 (2013.01); B25J 9/104 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An exoskeleton comprising a mechanism for elastically balancing loads applied to the exoskeleton, the mechanism comprising:
a rigid connection element and a rigid housing mutually pivoted to one another about a first axis of oscillation and attachable to respective relatively rotatable parts of the exoskeleton;
at least one lever rotatably mounted to the rigid housing about a second axis of oscillation parallel to the first axis of oscillation;
at least one flexible traction element having a first end rotationally secured to the rigid connection element with respect to the first axis of oscillation and a second end secured to said at least one lever at a securing point spaced from the second axis of oscillation; and
at least one compression spring elastically compressed between a base integral with the rigid housing and arranged on a side of the first axis of oscillation, and a head movable along the rigid housing and farther from the first axis of oscillation and closer to the second axis of oscillation, the head acting in a thrust relationship, away from the first axis of oscillation, against a portion of the at least one lever intermediately between the second axis of oscillation and the securing point to the second end of the at least one flexible traction element.