Upper Limb Exoskeleton Assist Device

Passive Exoskeleton Device for Upper Limb Strength Assistance Using Elastic Members and Directional Clutches

This technology is a mechanical exoskeleton system that assists a user's upper limb strength using elastic members and a clutch mechanism without an external energy source. A rotational elastic unit connected to a sliding hole releases stored elastic force during the movement of the rotational part, while a gear- and protrusion-based clutch part selectively allows or restricts movement in specific directions during bidirectional rotation to control the assistive force.

Conventional upper limb exoskeleton robots necessarily include electric actuators, which result in heavy device weight, high costs, and technical limitations in efficient operation due to constraints on energy source (battery) life and usage.

This technology consists of a body part, a rotational part, and a connecting part (including a rotational elastic unit) to assist muscle strength solely through elastic force without an energy source. The clutch part includes first and second clutch units, protrusions, and protrusion elastic members; it controls the rotational direction by changing the engagement state of the gears via switch operation, thereby performing assistive movements based on the load of an object. It can be applied to industrial muscle assistance, rehabilitation, and logistics, reducing weight, cost, and operational constraints by eliminating the need for batteries.

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Key Features:

• An upper limb exoskeleton assist device, wherein the second clutch unit further comprises a second protrusion elastic member that elastically supports the second protrusion.
• A clutch part comprising a first clutch unit that allows rotation of the rotational part in one of a first direction or a second direction, and a second clutch unit that allows rotation in the other direction.
• A rotational part connected to the body part to be rotatable in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction.
• A connecting part that connects the body part and the rotational part, and applies elastic force to the rotational part when the rotational part rotates in the first direction.