Automatic load-adapting passive upper limb exoskeleton. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhu, Yanhe; Zhang, Guoan; Li, Hongwu; Zhao, Jie
• Is Part Of: Advances in mechanical engineering. Volume 9:Number 9(2017:Sep.)
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: Exoskeleton -- rehabilitation -- load-adapting -- gas spring -- passive mechanism; Mechanical engineering -- Periodicals; 621.05
• DOI: 10.1177/1687814017729949
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1687-8132

Abstract

The passive exoskeleton with an automatic load-adapting mechanism is proposed in the article, which can assist people to do rehabilitation exercise and be used for the load carrying. The structure of the overall design is expounded in detail. In order to achieve a more efficient arrangement of space structure and to reduce the weight of the structure, a gas spring was selected as the passive energy actor. Furthermore, through effective design, the capability of automatic load-adapting was achieved in the structure. As the characteristics of the gas spring force will change with increasing elongation, curve fitting of the function to the gas spring force was achieved by the structural design. As a result, the performance of the exoskeleton was improved significantly after balancing.