Patent ID: 9022956
Filing Date: 2015-05-05
Classification: A61F,A61H

Abstract:
1. A trunk supporting exoskeleton configured to be worn by a person to reduce the muscle forces in the wearer's back during forward lumbar flexion, the exoskeleton comprising: a supporting trunk configured to contact a wearer's trunk; two thigh links configured to couple to a wearer's thighs, the thigh links are rotatably coupled to the supporting trunk in a manner that allows for flexion and extension of thigh links relative to the supporting trunk along human hip flexion and extension axes; and two torque generators, wherein a first torque generator of the two torque generators is coupled between the supporting trunk and a first thigh link of the two thigh links, and a second torque generator of the two torque generators is coupled between the supporting trunk and a second thigh link of the two thigh links, when the wearer bends forward in the sagittal plane, the torque generators impose a resisting torque between the supporting trunk and the thigh links, causing the supporting trunk to impose a force against a wearer's trunk and the thigh links to impose a force onto wearer's thighs, and at least one of the first or second torque generators comprises: an upper bracket configured to be coupled to the supporting trunk; a lower bracket configured to be coupled to one of the first and second thigh links and rotatably coupled to the upper bracket; a resilient pendulum rotatably coupled to the upper bracket, wherein the resilient pendulum comprises an element or combination of elements selected from a group consisting of gas spring, air spring, leaf spring, torsional spring, compression spring, linear spring, and tensile spring; and an engagement bracket coupled to the lower bracket, wherein when a predetermined portion of the upper bracket extends beyond a predetermined angle from vertical, the resilient pendulum comes into contact with the engagement bracket, causing a resisting torque between the upper bracket and the lower bracket, and when the predetermined portion of the upper bracket does not extend beyond a predetermined angle from vertical, the resilient pendulum is not in contact with the engagement bracket, and does not impose resisting torque between the upper bracket and the lower bracket.