Design and optimization of exoskeleton structure of lower limb knee joint based on cross four-bar linkage

Abstract

This research introduces the knee exoskeleton system that assists in knee joint rehabilitation, which is centered on human wearing comfort. According to the bionic principle, this paper proposes a bionic knee exoskeleton structure based on a cross four-bar linkage mechanism. The cross four-bar linkage mechanism is used to simulate the internal cruciate ligament of the human knee joint to realize the instantaneous rotation center movement of the knee joint. The motor drives the telescopic rod to simulate the movement of the exoskeleton of the knee joint by the thigh muscle of the human body. The auxiliary limit locking structure simulates the knee joint patella to prevent hyperextension of the exoskeleton of the knee joint. The particle swarm-based algorithm is used to optimize the size and position of the connecting rod of the cross four-bar linkage to follow the motion of the human knee joint better. The results show that the optimized and synthesized cross four-bar linkage mechanism has a small average error value, which can better reproduce the anthropomorphic motion characteristics of the human knee joint, achieve an ideal match between the motion form of the human knee joint and the exoskeleton, and improve coordination and adaptability with human joint movement. Through the wearer test, it is found that the structure has a variable instantaneous center of rotation trajectory. Under the condition of satisfying the flexion angle and torque of the human body, the knee joint movement could be simulated with the optimal trajectory to achieve the consistency with the human knee joint movement, so as to alleviate the discomfort of the wear movement of the patients in the auxiliary rehabilitation process, and it provides an advantage for the wear comfort of the human rehabilitation movement.