Flexible Ankle-Assisted Robot Technology Based on Rope Drive

摘要

The ankle joint is an important joint connecting leg and feet. The ankle joint assistance for patients with ankle dyskinesia and some elderly people with degraded functions seems extremely important. Ankle joint assistive devices have shown a significant effect on ankle joint rehabilitation. In this paper, flexible rope transmission technology is introduced into the field of ankle joint assistance. The research in this paper provides a possibility of flexible ankle joint assistance. In terms of structure, the steering gear is used to drive the flexible rope transmission at the front of the foot to assist the ankle dorsiflexion movement, and at the same time, the tension spring is used to assist the plantarflexion movement at the heel of the foot. In the control aspect, the sole pressure sensor and the angle sensor are used to determine position during the gait-cycle, and a prototype of the flexible ankle-assist principle is developed. The prototype is tested for performance and comprehensive application. Experiments show that the prototype can achieve ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion motion assistance for the wearing patient, where the dorsiflexion angle can be up to 25°.