Mechanism for alleviating the effects of joint misalignment between users and wearable robots
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University
InventorsPanagiotis Artemiadis, Hyunglae Lee, Justin Hunt
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Abstract
Implementations described and claimed herein involve a shoulder exoskeleton having a spherical parallel manipulator with a plurality of parallel linear actuators connected to a base coupled to a user's arm. A passive slip mechanism is operatively coupled to the spherical parallel manipulator as well as being coupled to the user's arm. The slip mechanism increases system mobility and prevents joint misalignment caused by the translational motion of the user's glenohumeral joint from introducing mechanical interference.
Claims20
An exoskeleton system for a user having a shoulder and an arm, the exoskeleton system comprising:
- a plurality of linear actuators forming a spherical parallel manipulator, each of the plurality of linear actuators having an actuator endpoint and generating a parallel actuation with a plurality of degrees-of-freedom, a subset of the plurality of degrees-of-freedom across the plurality of linear actuators arranged in a modular motion coupling defining a spherical workspace centered based on a center of rotation of the spherical parallel manipulator;
- a slip mechanism connectable to the arm of the user and having a passive cuff joint with a rotational degree-of-freedom and a translational degree-of-freedom;
- and
- a base connecting the spherical parallel manipulator to the slip mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.