Apparatus and method for lower-limb rehabilitation

• US 20070043308A1
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyungpook National University
• Original Assignee: Kyungpook National University
• Inventors: Lee, Yang Soo
• Granted Patent: US 7,744,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/34
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/0237 for the lower limbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/0262 Walking movement; Appliances for aiding disabled persons to walk A61H3/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1623 Back
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/163 holding means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1635 Hand or arm, e.g. handle hand-held, A61H2201/0153; fore-arm support, A61H2003/006
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/164 Feet or leg, e.g. pedal
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5043 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5064 Position sensors

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for rehabilitation treatment of patients with lower limb paralysis or physical strength weakening, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for lower limb rehabilitation treatment and exercise. The apparatus and method allows a user to exercise both lower limbs separately, and which can detect changes in the angle of lower limb joints and the magnitude of weight loaded on lower limbs to determine the exercise condition, exercise intensity and motor ability of the respective lower limbs to provide corresponding feedback to the user, thereby enabling effective rehabilitation treatment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation comprising:

a base frame supported on a bottom;

an elevation frame arranged to be driven up/down to a predetermined height from the base frame, in parallel therewith;

a variable jig for supporting the elevation frame above the base frame, allowing the elevation frame to be driven up/down;

an elevator arranged on the base frame for adjusting the axial width of the variable jig in order to drive up/down the elevation frame;

a table including a pivotal coupling part formed in a lower position for pivoting with one edge of the elevation frame as a vertex, a backing plate part having a sliding backing plate arranged above the pivotal coupling part for sliding up and down while supporting an upper body of a patient, and a pair of footings arranged under the backing plate to support the weight of the patient, each of the footings being adjustable in height; and

a slant-adjusting unit mounted on the elevation for driving the table to pivot to a predetermined angle about the pivotal coupling part to erect or lie.

2. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 1, wherein the variable jig has a hinge part including two bars at an X-shaped crossing so that the distance between y axes is varied in reverse proportion to variation in the distance between x axes, wherein upper and lower ends of one side of the hinge part are pivotally fixed to the elevation frame and base frame, respectively, thereby forming fixing ends, and upper and lower ends of the other side of the hinge part are coupled to the elevation frame and base frame, respectively, movable in x-axial direction, thereby forming free ends.

3. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 1, wherein the backing plate part has a number of rolling bearings at both sides underneath the sliding backing plate, the rolling bearings inserted into guide rails arranged at both sides of the table to enable rolling, so that the sliding backing plate supporting the weight of the patient smoothly slides up and down at an entire, adjustable slant angle of the table.

4. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 3, further comprising shoulder supports arranged at both sides of the sliding backing pate to support shoulders of the patient, respectively, so that when the sliding backing plate is slid up, the weight of the sliding backing plate is supported on the shoulders of the patient.

5. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 1, wherein the footings are separated from each other to a suitable distance in the longitudinal direction of the table, and coupled with a pair of rails, respectively, in a slidable fashion, thereby enabling stepwise height adjustment.

6. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 5, further comprising reciprocating sliders to surround the exterior of the rails, respectively,

wherein lower ends of the reciprocating sliders are hinged to one ends of the both footings, respectively, both ends of arm members adjustable in distance are pivotally coupled to the other ends of the both footings and the other ends of the reciprocating sliders, respectively, and the angle of the both footings is adjusted as the arm members are adjusted in distance.

7. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 5, further comprising a pair of calf-backing plates detachably arranged between the rails, wherein one of the calf-backing plates for an unaffected lower limb is removed in partial paralysis rehabilitation treatment so that a partially paralyzed lower limb is exercised intensively.

8. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 1, further comprising a goniometer arranged at one lateral side of the table.

9. An apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation comprising:

a base frame supported on a bottom;

an elevation frame arranged to be driven up/down to a predetermined height from the base frame, in parallel therewith;

a variable jig for supporting the elevation frame above the base frame, allowing the elevation frame to be driven up/down;

an elevator arranged on the base frame for adjusting the axial width of the variable jig in order to drive up/down the elevation frame;

a table including a pivotal coupling part formed in a lower position for pivoting with one edge of the elevation frame as a vertex, a backing plate part having a sliding backing plate arranged above the pivotal coupling part for sliding up and down while supporting an upper body of a patient, the backing plate part capable of detecting the vertical position of the backing plate part, a pair of footings arranged under the backing plate to support the weight of the patient, each of the footings being adjustable in height and capable of loading the weight of a user thereon, and a calf-fixing part for contacting calves of lower limbs to prevent knees of the user from biasing inward or outward of the lower limbs;

a slant-adjusting unit mounted on the elevation for driving the table to pivot to a predetermined angle about the pivotal coupling part to erect or lie;

a controller for generating joint angle data of measurement data about the angle of a joint by judging the angle of the joint based upon the position of the sliding backing plate detected by the backing plate part, generating weight data of measurement data about the weight of the user loaded on each of the lower limbs detected by each of the footings, and generating result data based upon weight data and joint angle data of measurement data obtained from an unaffected lower limb and the weight data and joint angle data of measurement data; and

a display part for displaying the result data generated by the controller to the user.

10. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the variable jig has a hinge part including two bars at an X-shaped crossing so that the distance between y axes is varied in reverse proportion to variation in the distance between x axes, wherein upper and lower ends of one side of the hinge part are pivotally fixed to the elevation frame and base frame, respectively, thereby forming fixing ends, and upper and lower ends of the other side of the hinge part are coupled to the elevation frame and base frame, respectively, movable in x-axial direction, thereby forming free ends.

11. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the backing plate part has a number of rolling bearings at both sides underneath the sliding backing plate, the rolling bearings inserted into guide rails arranged at both sides of the table to enable rolling, so that the sliding backing plate supporting the weight of the patient smoothly slides up and down at an entire, adjustable slant angle of the table.

12. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 11, further comprising shoulder supports arranged at both sides of the sliding backing pate to support shoulders of the patient, respectively, so that when the sliding backing plate is slid up, the weight of the sliding backing plate is supported on the shoulders of the patient.

13. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the backing plate part has a number of distance sensors arranged in a top portion of the table for locating the sliding backing plate, whereby the distance sensors detect the distance from the top part of the table to the sliding backing plate to locate the sliding backing plate.

14. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the backing plate part has a number of contact sensors arranged in one or both sides of the table at a predetermined interval, for locating the sliding backing plate, whereby the sliding backing plate is located by detecting the position of each of the sensors contacted by the sliding backing plate.

15. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, further comprising a fixing part attached to a bottom portion of the sliding backing plate, wherein arm members adjustable in distance are pivotally coupled inside the fixing part, whereby the sliding backing plate is adjusted in height through the distance adjustment of the arm members.

16. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the footings are separated from each other to a suitable distance in the longitudinal direction of the table, and coupled with a pair of rails, respectively, in a slidable fashion, thereby enabling stepwise height adjustment.

17. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 16, further comprising reciprocating sliders to surround the exterior of the rails, respectively,

wherein lower ends of the reciprocating sliders are hinged to one ends of the both footings, respectively, both ends of arm members adjustable in distance are pivotally coupled to the other ends of the both footings and the other ends of the reciprocating sliders, respectively, and the angle of the both footings is adjusted as the arm members are adjusted in distance.

18. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 16, further comprising a pair of calf-backing plates detachably arranged between the rails.

19. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the footings have a number of sensors directly or indirectly contacting lower surfaces of the lower limbs of the user, the sensors changing state owing to the weight loaded on the lower limbs, whereby the weight loaded on the lower limbs is detected based upon the state changes of the sensors.

20. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the calf-fixing part includes a U-shaped contact plate contacting the calves of the user, connecting hooks placed between the footings and the contact plate and arranged in different heights on the footings and at least one connecting rod pivotally coupled with a portion of the contact plate, wherein the connecting hooks of the contact plate are selectable to match the figure of the user.

21. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 20, wherein the contact plate further includes an attachment that surround the calf of each lower limb of the user to completely contact the calf, one portion of the attachment fixed to one portion of the contact plate and the other portion of the attachment attachable/detachable to/from the other portion of the contact plate.

22. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, further comprising a goniometer arranged at one lateral side of the table.

23. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the reference data is measurement data obtained from paralyzed and unaffected lower limbs or stored measurement data of an unaffected person.

24. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the controller generates state data through measurement data and reference data, and generates result data including the measurement data, reference data and state data.

25. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 9, wherein the controller has a timer, and is adapted to measure, with the timer, time until the weight data of measurement data becomes a same value in next time, generate time data from the measured time, and adding the time data to the measurement data.

26. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 25, wherein the result data includes the time data.

27. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 24, wherein the controller is adapted to generate a game using the result data as variables and forward the game to the display part, thereby to stimulate the user to feel more interest in the exercise.

28. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 26, wherein the controller is adapted to generate a game using the result data as variables and forward the game to the display part, thereby to stimulate the user to feel more interest in the exercise.

29. A method for lower limb rehabilitation treatment using the apparatus as defined in claim 9, the method comprising steps of:

(a) measuring weight load on at least one lower limb detected by at least one of the footings, based upon state change of a pressure sensor or a spring of the footings, to generate weight data of measurement data about the loaded weight, and measuring the angle of a flexed joint of a user based upon the position of the sliding backing plate detected by the sensors of the backing plate part to generate joint angle data of measurement data about the measured joint angle;

(b) generating weight data and joint angle data of reference data comprising measurement data measured from paralyzed and unaffected lower limbs or measurement data of an unaffected person as data of an unaffected lower limb comparable with the weight data and joint angle data of measurement data;

(c) generating state data through the weight data of measurement data and the weight data of reference data;

(d) generating result data including the weight data and joint angle data of reference data, the weight data and joint angle data of measurement data and the state data; and

(e) outputting and displaying the result data to the user.

30. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 28, further comprising steps of:

adding, to the measurement data, time data obtained by measuring time until the weight data of measurement data becomes a same value; and

adding the time data of measurement data to the result data.

31. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 28, further comprising a step of receiving basic information of the user before the step (a).

32. The apparatus for lower limb rehabilitation according to claim 30, wherein the basic information of the user is used to generate the reference data.