LEG JOINT ASSIST DEVICE FOR LEG TYPE MOVABLE ROBOT

摘要

An assist device 14 is provided with spring means 15 which generates an auxiliary driving force, by an elastic energy, acting on a joint 8 of a leg 3. The spring means 15 comprises a gas spring having a cylinder 17 and a piston 18. Bending/stretching motion between link members 4 and 5 at the joint 8 is transmitted to the spring means 15 through motion transmission means 16 including a link arm 22 and the like. The spring means 15 is provided so that the auxiliary driving force increases as a knee bending angleθincreases until the knee bending angleθreaches a predetermined angle, and that, once the knee bending angleθexceeds the predetermined angle, the auxiliary driving force becomes smaller than or equal to the driving force obtaining at the predetermined angle. Thus, a burden on an actuator of the joint 8 of the legged mobile robot 1 is effectively reduced, thereby ensuring favorable utilization efficiency of energy. In addition, the configuration of the spring means 15 can be miniaturized.