WALKING ASSISTANCE ROBOT AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE WALKING ASSISTANCE ROBOT

• US 20150127018A1
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LIM, Bok Man, SEO, Kee Hong
• Granted Patent: US 10,117,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/024 Knee A61H1/0255 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/0244 Hip A61H1/0255 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/0266 Foot
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0176 By stopping operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0184 by raising an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1215 Rotary drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1246 by piston-cylinder systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/165 Wearable interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1676 Pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5002 Means for controlling a set of similar massage devices acting in sequence at different locations on a patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5007 computer controlled
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5058 Sensors or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5061 Force sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5069 Angle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5079 Velocity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5084 Acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/00 Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04; orthopaedic devices for correcting deformities of, or supporting, limbs A61F5/0102; exercising apparatus for the feet or toes A63B23/10; stairways or ramps E04F11/00

Abstract

Disclosed are a walking assistance robot and a method of controlling the walking assistance robot. The control method includes collecting motion information by sensing or measuring a motion of at least one joint, determining a motion state of the at least one joint based on the sensed or measured motion of the at least one joint, and controlling the walking assistance robot based on the determined motion state of the at least one joint.

Claims

1. A method of controlling movement of a walking assistance robot, the method comprising:

collecting motion information by sensing or measuring a motion of at least one joint of the walking assistance robot;

determining a motion state of the at least one joint based on the sensed or measured motion of the at least one joint; and

controlling the movement of the walking assistance robot based on the determined motion state of the at least one joint.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining a motion state includes determining if the motion state of the joint is changed based on the sensed or measured motion of the at least one joint.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining a motion state includes determining if the joint is in a positive work state or a negative work state based on the sensed or measured motion of the joint.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein determining if the joint is in a positive work state or a negative work state includes calculating movement information related to the sensed or measured motion of the at least one joint.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein determining if the joint is in a positive work state or a negative work state further includes determining that the at least one joint is in the positive work state if the calculated movement information is a positive number, and determining that the at least one joint is in the negative work state if the calculated movement information is a negative number.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein collecting motion information includes collecting motion information related to the motion of the at least one joint associated with at least one point in time, the motion information including at least one of an angle of the at least one joint, an angular velocity of the at least one joint, an angular acceleration of the at least one joint, a walking speed of the walking assistance robot, and ground reaction force (GRF) exerted by a ground on the walking assistance robot.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein determining a motion state includes:

calculating torque of the at least one joint based on the motion information associated with the at least one point in time; and

calculating the movement information related to the motion of the at least one joint based on the calculated torque of the at least one joint.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the movement of the walking assistance robot includes:

accelerating the motion of the at least one joint when the motion of the at least one joint is in a positive work state; and

decelerating the motion of the at least one joint when the motion of the at least one joint is in a negative work state.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein accelerating the motion includes applying active torque to the at least one joint, the active torque determined using a torque variation pattern calculated based on previous motion of the at least one joint.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining the torque variation pattern based on a time a walking stage changed from a previous walking state to a current walking state, information regarding a torque variation position, and information regarding maximum joint torque in the current walking state.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein a weighting value based on similarity of a walking period between a wearer and the walking assistance robot is added to the active torque applied to the at least one joint upon acceleration of the motion.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein decelerating the motion includes applying damping torque to the at least one joint, the damping torque based on an angular velocity of the joint or a weighting value, the weighting value based on similarity of a walking period between a wearer and the walking assistance robot.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of accelerating the motion and decelerating the motion includes additionally applying dynamic compensation torque to the at least one joint.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one joint includes one or more of a hip joint, a knee joint, and an ankle joint.

15-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of controlling movement of at least one joint of a walking assistance device, the method comprising:

detecting motion of the at least one joint of the walking assistance device;

determining a current walking stage of the walking assistance device based on the motion of the at least one joint, the current walking stage being one of a plurality of walking stages associated with a walking operation; and

applying an assistance torque to a limb associated with the at least one joint based on the current walking stage.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the assistance torque includes one or more of an active component, a damping component and a dynamic compensation component.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

continually determining whether the at least one joint is exerting positive work on the limb to accelerate the limb or negative work on the limb to decelerate the limb;

adjusting the active component of the assistance torque to increase the assistance torque applied to the limb, if the at least one joint is exerting positive work on the limb; and

adjusting the damping component of the assistance torque to decrease the assistance torque applied to the limb, if the at least one joint is exerting negative work on the limb.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein

the adjusting the active component includes using determining the active component based on a torque variation pattern, the torque variation pattern calculated based on previously observed motion of the joint, and

the adjusting the damping component includes determining the damping component based on an angular velocity of the at least one joint such that a walking speed of the walking assistance device is maintained above a threshold.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein

the walking assistance device is configured to be worn by a user, and

the adjusting the active component includes,

determining whether the user and the walking assistance device are walking in unison, and

increasing the active component, if the walking assistance device and the user are not walking in unison.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a torque variation pattern associated with the current walking stage based on when a joint angle associated with the current walking state is maximum; and

applying the assistance torque during the current walking stage based on the torque variation pattern such that the assistance torque varies as a function of time and is less than or equal to a maximum joint torque associated with the current walking stage.