TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an upper limb exercise apparatus, and more particularly, to a rehabilitation apparatus or robot for use in rehabilitation of an elderly or a patient by inducing a rehabilitation motion in an exercise area.

BACKGROUND ART

The upper limb rehabilitation apparatuses have been developed, which are applicable for the stroke patients who have been increasing as the society is moving into the aging or graying stage, and also for the increasing number of spinal cord injury patients in traffic accidents, and the patients who lack active mobility of their hands due to various diseases such as brain injury such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, or nervous system damage caused by spinal cord injury, and so on.

The related upper limb rehabilitation apparatus is configured such that rehabilitation procedure is mainly focused on movements of the upper arm such as shoulders and elbows, and the treatment is mostly performed in the form of performing a special motion on the work table. An example of such a related art is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1620633.

To explain the related art briefly, the above Korean patent discloses an augmented reality-based upper limb rehabilitation apparatus including an upper limb apparatus module that is positioned to be visible through a transparent display unit and that supports an arm and a finger of a user to move, a sensor that is provided at an end of the upper limb apparatus module and detects a position and a movement of the finger of the user, and a controller that receives a signal from the sensor and analyzes whether a mission on an image provided through the transparent display unit is accomplished or not, and performance. The transparent display further includes a display support for supporting it to be tilted with respect to a horizontal plane at a predetermined height, and the sensor is embedded at a distal position of the finger supported by the upper limb apparatus module.

According to the related art with the configuration described above, when the mission is selected by the controller, a mission image in virtual environment is provided on the transparent display unit, and the user performs the mission in the real environment with the arms and fingers placed on the upper limb apparatus module. The Korean patent discloses that the arms and fingers placed on the upper limb apparatus module can be directly moved as intended by the user or can be automatically moved according to a program set by the controller, and also discloses implementations of various forms.

However, with such a related upper limb rehabilitation apparatus, there is a difficulty in exercising various arm muscles required for movements relating to daily life tasks because the arms of the user are allowed to move only on a plane parallel to the horizontal plane during exercise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Technical Problem

It is an object of the present invention to provide an upper limb exercise apparatus that helps rehabilitation of a patient lacking hand mobility due to damage to the nervous system due to brain injury or spinal cord injury, and the like, so that the patient is able to independently perform daily activities.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus, which is an upper limb exercise robot and with which a user can perform upper limb exercise while holding an end-effector type apparatus handle of a robot arm that has a basically 5-bar link structure (parallogram structure) on a flat display parallel to the ground.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an upper limb exercise apparatus that can be easily used in a residence such as a home or a welfare center so as to provide a practical help to a disabled person with a chronic stroke who has returned to his or her home from a hospital.

Technical Solution

The present invention provides an upper limb exercise apparatus which may include: a base B; a frame10having one side thereof fixed to the base and having a variable tilting angle; a display20mounted on the frame and displaying a target pointer; 5-bar linkage-type movable parts30,40positioned on the upper or lower side of the display and including a first link30and a second link40which are drivable, in which the first link30may include a 1-1 member31of which one end is attached to the frame and is rotationally driven, and a 1-2 member33of which one end is rotatably attached to the other end of the 1-1 member, and the other end has attached thereto a handle50gripped by a user, and the second link40may include a 2-1 member41of which one end is attached to the frame and is rotationally driven, and a 2-2 member43of which one end is rotatably attached to the other end of the 2-1 member, and the other end has attached thereto handle50gripped by a patient and the other end of the 1-2 member; and series elastic actuators60each attached to one end of the 1-1 member31and one end of the 2-1 member41, and providing torque.

In addition, according to the present invention, in place of the series elastic actuators60, actuators may be provided, each attached to the one end of the 1-1 member31and the one end of the 2-1 member41, and providing torque, and an elastic spring S1 may be provided between the frame10and the 1-1 member31of the first link30, and an elastic spring S2 may be provided between the frame10and the 2-1 member41of the second link40.

In order to prevent breakage of the display due to gravity while the handle is gripped by the user,

a ball roller may be provided under the handle, and a transparent display cover, on which the ball roller is movable in contact, may be positioned on an upper surface of the display.

The series elastic actuators60may include a motor61; and a speed reducer62that reduces a rotational speed of the motor and delivers the reduced speed to the first link or the second link, and may further include a spring63and an encoder provided between the speed reducer and the first link or the second link, such that the torque after the speed reducer is smoothly delivered to the first link or the second link, and a tilting angle (θ) of the frame may preferably be adjusted by 0° to 180°.

The upper limb exercise apparatus may further include a controller that controls a rotation of the series elastic actuators to move the handle to the position of the target pointer based on the position of the handle and the position of the target pointer.

In addition, the present invention provides a method for controlling the upper limb exercise apparatus, which may include: a first step of detecting the position of the target pointer on the display; a second step of detecting the position of the handle50; a third step of providing torque to the 1-1 member and the 2-1 member by operating the series elastic actuators to move the position of the handle.

The method may further include a detection step of detecting for a predetermined time after the second step as to whether the handle is moved or not, and when the movement of the handle is not detected for the predetermined time in the detecting step, the process proceeds to the third step such that the handle is moved to the position of the target pointer to assist the movement of the user.

In addition, the present invention provides a method for controlling the upper limb exercise apparatus, which may include: a first step of detecting the position of the target pointer on the display; a second step of detecting the position of the handle50; a third step of detecting a movement of the position of the handle by a user; and a fourth step of providing torque to the 1-1 member and the 2-1 member by operating the series elastic actuators to provide resistance to the movement of the position of the handle detected in the third step.

In addition, according to the present invention, an elastic spring S1 may be provided between the frame10and the 1-1 member31of the second link30, and an elastic spring S2 may be provided between the frame10and the 2-1 member41of the second link40. At this time, the motor may or may not be used.

In addition, according to the present invention, when using the elastic spring S3 connected to one of the four sides of the handle50and the frame10, the user may perform a resistive exercise, while deviation to the direction of gravity due to the link weight, the weight of the user's arm, and the like can be compensated to some extent when the display is tilted.

Advantageous Effects

The present invention provides an upper limb exercise robot that includes series elastic actuators and a link member having a 5-bar link structure, thus providing an apparatus that can be easily used at homes for those with chronic stroke disorders, in which a tilting angle of the display can be adjusted as necessary, and at the same time, when the user turns 90° clockwise or counterclockwise from a position of facing directly at the display and sits, without having to add or modify mechanical configuration, the user can have the same result as if he or she is exercising at an adjusted rotating angle (Φ) of the display, so that various exercises are possible with one apparatus and simple structure, thereby obtaining the effect similar to that of exercising in three-dimensional space.

In addition, elastic bodies can be connected in series to the actuators of the 5-bar link structure apparatus to reduce the load on the apparatus that the user would otherwise has to bear and thus increase so-called back-drivability so that the user hardly feels the resistance of the apparatus, and the breakage of the actuators that can occur through the back-drive of the actuators can also be prevented, and accordingly, for the upper limb exercise, there is an effect of improved usability by the user who may have joint stiffness due to the disease.

Further, the present invention has an effect that, due to the elastic body attached to the frame and the handle of the upper limb exercise apparatus, the user can perform a resistive exercise, while deviation to the direction of gravity due to the link weight, the weight of the user's arm, and the like can be compensated to some extent when the display is tilted.

