Tendon device for wearable robots

Tendon Device for Wearable Robots

This technology utilizes a pair of wire devices that mimic agonist and antagonist muscles to assist in the flexion and extension of human joints. It provides a tendon-driven mechanism that controls the tension of each wire through a moving part supported by an elastic member and a drive wire, while providing real-time feedback on joint displacement via an encoder.

Conventional transfer equipment is limited in its range of use due to installation space constraints, while manual labor-dependent tasks suffer from reduced efficiency and a high risk of industrial accidents due to high physical intensity.

This technology assists muscle strength by connecting the first and second wires, fixed to the front and rear of the joint, to independent moving devices and varying the displacement of the moving parts via a drive wire connected to a drive motor. It controls tension balance by applying force in the opposite direction to the drive wire using a connecting wire, and ensures control efficiency by measuring movement with an encoder device that includes a rack-and-pinion structure. Applicable to industrial robots and automation systems, it enhances control stability and natural movement in wearable robots, prevents malfunctions, and reduces drive force transmission time.

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Key Features:

• A first wire and a second wire, each fixed to the anterior and posterior sides of a user's joint, moving longitudinally as the joint bends or extends.
• A first moving device comprising a first frame connected to the first wire, a first moving part elastically supported on the first frame by a first elastic member, and a first acting part installed on the first moving part.
• A second moving device comprising a second frame connected to the second wire, a second moving part elastically supported on the second frame by a second elastic member, and a second acting part installed on the second moving part.
• A tendon device for wearable robots, including a connecting wire that applies force to the first and second moving parts in a direction opposite to the force applied by the drive wire.

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the development of a garment-type wearable robot system consisting of a 50W-class drive module for human muscle strength assistance and human-robot muscle model-based control techniques.