Control system and method for a prosthetic knee

• US 20050283257A1
• Filed: 03/09/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ossur hf
• Original Assignee: Ossur hf
• Inventors: Oddson, Magnus, Bisbee, Charles R. III, Elliott, Scott B.
• Application Number:
  US11/077,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283257A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/5046 for designing or making customized prostheses, e.g. using templates, finite-element analysis or CAD-CAM techniques
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/64 Knee joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/70 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5004 operated by electro- or magnetorheological fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5033 for adjusting damping damping means A61F2002/5003
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/6863 magnetic magnetic prosthetic parts A61F2002/30079
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/704 computer-controlled, e.g. robotic control
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/705 Electromagnetic data transfer for implantable prostheses A61F2250/0002
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/707 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/7625 for measuring angular position
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/7635 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/764 for measuring acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/7645 for measuring torque, e.g. hinge or turning moment, moment of force
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/769 Displaying measured values
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0034 differing in viscosity

Abstract

A prosthetic or orthotic system including a magnetorheological (MR) damper. The MR damper may be configured to operate in shear mode. In one embodiment, the MR damper includes a rotary MR damper. A controller is configured to operate the damper. A mobile computing device may be adapted to intermittently communicate configuration parameters to the controller. A method of configuring a prosthetic or orthotic system is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A device configured to be attached to a limb, comprising:

a magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode;

a controller configured to operate the damper; and

a mobile computing device adapted to intermittently communicate configuration parameters to the controller.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a prosthetic knee.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the configuration parameters comprise target values.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to intermittently communicate configuration parameters to the mobile computing device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to intermittently communicate operational data to the mobile computing device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the magnetorheological damper comprises a rotary magnetorheological damper.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is a personal digital assistant.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the personal digital assistant is a commercial off-the-shelf unit.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is a mobile telephone handset.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is a personal computer.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is a mobile personal computer.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device includes a iconic graphical user interface.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the iconic graphical user interface displays indicia associating parameter values with state machine conditions.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the state machine conditions comprise terrain conditions.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the state machine conditions comprise gait cycle states.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the iconic graphical user interface displays indicia associating parameter values with adaptive parameters.

17-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A device configured to be attached to a limb, comprising:

a magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode;

a software system configured to adaptively change damping parameters of the damper while the system is operating; and

a mobile computing device adapted to intermittently communicate damping parameters to the software system.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the magnetorheological damper comprises a rotary magnetorheological damper.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the prosthetic system comprises a prosthetic knee.

26. The device of claim 23, wherein the software system is further configured to communicate data to the mobile computing device.

27. The device of claim 23, wherein the damping parameters comprise target values.

28. A device configured to be attached to a limb, comprising:

a magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode; and

a controller configured to operate the damper, wherein the controller is configured to receive data from a computing network.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the device comprises a prosthetic knee.

30. The device of claim 28, wherein the magnetorheological damper comprises a rotary magnetorheological damper.

31. The device of claim 28, wherein the computing network comprises the Internet.

32. The device of claim 28, further comprising a wireless transceiver configured to receive the data from the computing network.

33. The device of claim 28, wherein the data comprises executable software.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the controller is configured to execute the executable software.

35. The device of claim 28, wherein the data is sent from a network computing device.

36. The device of claim 28, wherein the controller is configured to send data to the network.

37. A device configured to be attached to a limb, comprising:

a magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode; and

a controller configured to operate the damper, wherein the controller is configured to send data to a computing network.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein the device comprises a prosthetic knee.

39. The device of claim 37, wherein the magnetorheological damper comprises a rotary magnetorheological damper.

40. The device of claim 37, wherein the computing network comprises the Internet.

41. The device of claim 37, further comprising a wireless transceiver configured to send the data to the computing network.

42. The device of claim 37, wherein the data is sent from a network computing device.

43-59. -59. (canceled)

60. A method of controlling a prosthetic knee system, comprising:

measuring at least one characteristic of knee movement;

identifying a control state based at least partly on the at least one measured characteristic of knee movement;

calculating a damping value based at least partly on the control state;

filtering the damping value based at least partly on values of previous damping values; and

applying the damping value to control the resistance of a magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode comprises a rotary magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode.

62. The method of claim 60, wherein the measuring comprises receiving a value from a knee angle sensor.

63. The method of claim 60, wherein the measuring comprises receiving a value from a load sensor.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein receiving a value from the load sensor comprises receiving at least one value from a strain gauge.

65. The method of claim 60, wherein the filtering comprises applying a fixed point infinite impulse response filter to filter the damping value.

66. The method of claim 60, wherein the calculating comprises adapting a damping parameter.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the adapting is based at least partly on an empirical function.

68. A device configured to be attached to a limb, comprising:

a magnetorheological damper operating in shear mode;

at least one sensor configured to measure knee motion;

a software system configured to identify a control state based at least partly on the measure of knee motion and configured to send a control signal to the damper based at least partly the control state, wherein the software system is further configured to filter a value of the control signal based at least partly on values of previous control signals.

69. The device of claim 68, wherein the magnetorheological damper comprises a rotary magnetorheological damper.

70. The device of claim 68, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a knee angle sensor.

71. The device of claim 68, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a load sensor.

72. The device of claim 68, wherein the load sensor comprises at least one strain gauge.

73. The device of claim 68, wherein the control signal comprises a current and wherein the damper is configured to vary resistance to rotation in response to the current.

74. The device of claim 68, wherein the software system is configured to apply a fixed point infinite impulse response filter to filter the value of the control signal.

75. (canceled)