# US 10,864,102 B2 · Human interface device for exoskeleton apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,864,102 B2 - Document ID: US10864102B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/713,579 - Filed: 2019-12-13 - Published: 2020-06-18 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-17 - Assignees: U.S. Bionics, Inc. - Applicants: U.S. Bionics Inc. - Inventors: James Hatch; Logan Van Engelhoven; John Kuwata; Minerva Pillai; Homayoon Kazerooni - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864102B2 ## CPC - A61F 5/028: {Braces for providing support to the lower back, e.g. lumbo sacral supports} - A61B 5/1116: {Determining posture transitions} - A61F 5/0102: {specially adapted for correcting deformities of the limbs or for supporting them; Ortheses, e.g. with articulations} - A61F 5/024: {having pressure pads connected in a frame for reduction or correction of the curvature of the spine} - B25J 9/0006: {Exoskeletons, i.e. resembling a human figure} - A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract A human interface device is configured to be coupled to a trunk of a person and comprises a frame, a fabric coupled to said frame configurable to be under tensile forces, and a belt configured to be coupled to two side edges of said frame wherein when said belt is worn by said person, an area of said fabric will be pushed against the person's lower back conforming to the shape of the lower back of said person. In operation when said human interface device is worn by said person, the weight of any load coupled to or supported by said frame will be partially supported by the friction force between the area of said fabric which is pushed against the person's lower back, and the person's lower back allowing said person to carry said load. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A human interface device configured to be coupled to a trunk of a person comprising: a frame compliant in a transverse plane, said frame comprising a load bearing structure configured to reduce a deformation of the frame in a sagittal plane; a fabric coupled to said frame configurable to be under tensile forces; and a belt configured to be coupled to two side edges of said frame wherein when said belt is worn by said person, said frame deforms in the transverse plane and an area of said fabric will be pushed against the person's lower back conforming to a shape of the lower back of said person, wherein when said human interface device is worn by said person, a weight of a load coupled to or supported by said frame will be partially supported by a friction force between the area of said fabric which is pushed against the person's lower back, and the person's lower back allowing said person to carry said load. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein said frame is curved at least along one horizontal axis parallel to the ground when the person is standing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein said frame is curved such that the fabric is shaped to conform to the lordotic curve of the lower back of said person. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein said frame resists the weight of said load and maintains its shape in the sagittal plane of the person. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein said frame forms a loop and the fabric is under tensile stress in all directions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein said fabric is configured to conform to the natural lower back lordotic curve of the person's spine in the sagittal plane. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein said fabric is configured to conform to the natural lower back lordotic curve of the person's spine in the transverse plane. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein the fabric is a mesh exposing the person's lower back to surrounding air allowing for air flow on the lower back of said person. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, further comprising a fan providing air flow on the person. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, further comprising an upper torso coupling to secure the frame to the person's upper torso causing a more effective contact between the fabric and the person. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The human interface device of claim 10, wherein said upper torso coupling comprises two shoulder straps wherein each shoulder strap is coupled to an upper edge of the frame from one end and to the lower side of the frame from their second ends wherein when the two shoulder straps are worn by the person, the tightening of the two shoulder straps causes a more effective contact between the fabric and the person. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The human interface device of claim 10, wherein said upper torso coupling comprises two shoulder straps wherein each shoulder strap is coupled to an upper edge of the frame from one end and to said belt from their second ends wherein when the two shoulder straps are worn by the person, the tightening of the two shoulder straps causes a more effective contact between the fabric and the person. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The human interface device of claim 10, wherein the human interface device comprises a chest strap coupled to the frame from both sides wherein when the person wears the human interface device, the chest strap pushes the person's chest posteriorly causing a more effective contact between the fabric and the person. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, wherein said load bearing structure is configurable to support the load and transfers at least a portion of the weight of said load to said frame. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The human interface device of claim 14, wherein said load bearing structure comprises a strut wherein said strut is configured to be coupled to said frame through at least two coupling locations. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The human interface device of claim 15, wherein said load bearing structure comprises one or a plurality of concentric sections configured to slide into one another. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, comprising a tool holder coupled to said frame thereby transferring the weight of the tool holder to said frame. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The human interface device of claim 17, wherein said tool holder is further coupled to said belt from two sides, wherein when said human interface device is worn, said tool holder wraps around said person in response to tensile force of said belt. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, further comprising a wearable exoskeleton coupled to said frame wherein when said human interface device is worn by said person, the forces from said wearable exoskeleton will be partially supported by the friction force between the area of said fabric which is pushed against the person's lower back and the back of the person allowing said person to comfortably carry said wearable exoskeleton. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The human interface device of claim 1, further comprising a shoulder supporting exoskeleton configured to be coupled to a said frame comprising: an arm link mechanism comprising a proximal link and a distal link configured to rotate relative to each other about a rotating joint and along a first rotational axis Substantially orthogonal to a gravity line when said person is standing upright; at least one arm-coupler adapted to couple an upper arm of the person to said arm link mechanism and a torque generator providing a torque to flex said distal link relative to said proximal link; wherein said torque has a tendency to flex said distal link relative to said proximal link, thereby reducing human shoulder forces and torques required to raise said upper arm of the person. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The human interface device of claim 20, wherein said frame further comprises the load bearing structure wherein said shoulder supporting exoskeleton is coupled to said load bearing structure and therefore said load bearing structure transfers at least a portion of the forces from said shoulder supporting exoskeleton to said frame. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The human interface device of claim 20, wherein said torque generator comprises a tensile force generator coupled to said proximal link at a first end of the tensile force generator and coupled to said distal link at a second end of the tensile force generator, wherein a tensile force in said tensile force generator provides the torque to flex said distal link relative to said proximal link. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The human interface device of claim 22, wherein said tensile force generator comprises a coil spring element. ### Claim 24 A human interface device configured to be coupled to a trunk of a person comprising: a frame compliant in a transverse plane, said frame comprising a load bearing structure configured to reduce a deformation of the frame in a sagittal plane; a fabric coupled to said frame such that the fabric is under tensile forces; a belt configured to be coupled to two side edges of said frame wherein when said belt is worn by said person, said frame deforms in the transverse plane and an area of said fabric will be pushed against the person's lower back conforming to a shape of the lower back of said person; an arm link mechanism configured to be coupled to said frame, the arm link mechanism comprising: a proximal link and a distal link configured to rotate relative to each other along a first rotational axis substantially orthogonal to a gravity line when said person is standing upright; at least one arm-coupler adapted to couple an upper arm of the person to said arm link mechanism, and at least one torque generator configured to flex said distal link relative to said proximal link, thereby reducing human shoulder forces and torques required to raise the upper arm of the person; wherein when said belt is worn by the person the forces from said arm link mechanism onto said frame will be partially supported by a friction force between the area of said fabric which is pushed against the person's lower back and the lower back of said person allowing said person to carry said arm link mechanism. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The human interface device of claim 24, wherein said frame is curved at least along one horizontal axis parallel to the ground when the person is standing. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The human interface device of claim 24, wherein said frame is curved such that the fabric is shaped to conform to the lordotic curve of the lower back of the person. ### Claim 27 (depends on 24) The human interface device of claim 24, wherein said fabric is configured to conform to the natural lower back lordotic curve of the person's spine in the sagittal plane. ### Claim 28 (depends on 24) The human interface device of claim 24, further comprising an upper torso coupling device to secure the frame to the person's upper torso causing more effective contact between the fabric and the person. ### Claim 29 A human interface device configured to be coupled to a trunk of a person comprising: a frame compliant in a transverse plane, said frame comprising a load bearing structure configured to reduce a deformation of the frame in a sagittal plane; a fabric coupled to said frame such that the fabric is under tensile forces; a belt configured to be coupled to two side edges of said frame wherein when said belt is worn by said person, said frame deforms in the transverse plane and an area of said fabric will be pushed against the person's lower back conforming to the shape of the lower back of said person; a tool holder coupled to said frame: wherein when said human interface device is worn by said person, a weight of any tool supported by said tool holder will be partially supported by a friction force between the area of said fabric which is pushed against the person's lower back and the lower back of said person allowing said person to carry said tool holder. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The human interface device of claim 29, wherein said frame is curved at least along one horizontal axis parallel to the ground when the person is standing.