IMPLEMENTING A STAND-UP SEQUENCE USING A LOWER-EXTREMITY PROSTHESIS OR ORTHOSIS
First Claim
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1. An active orthotic or prosthetic apparatus comprising:
- a thigh member;
a lower leg member;
a knee joint for connecting the thigh member to the lower leg member;
a rotary motor comprising a motor shaft output;
a motor drive transmission assembly coupled to the motor shaft output;
a drive transmission assembly coupled to the output of the motor drive transmission, with an output of the drive transmission assembly coupled to the lower leg member for applying torque to the knee joint to rotate the lower leg member with respect to the thigh member;
at least one sensor having at least one output from which a position of the knee joint with respect to an ankle joint can be determined while the wearer of the apparatus is in a seated position; and
a controller that determines when the knee joint is moved to position that is forward of the ankle joint based on the least one output of the at least one sensor, and in response to said determination, controls the rotary motor so as to modulate impedance, position, or torque of the knee joint to help raise the person from the seated position to a standing position.
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Abstract
Knee orthoses or prostheses can be used to automatically when it is appropriate to initiate a stand-up sequence based on the position of the person'"'"'s knee with respect to the person'"'"'s ankle while the person is in a seated position. When the knee is moved to position that is forward of the ankle, at least one actuator of the orthosis or prosthesis is actuated to help raise the person from the seated position to a standing position.
267 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An active orthotic or prosthetic apparatus comprising:
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a thigh member; a lower leg member; a knee joint for connecting the thigh member to the lower leg member; a rotary motor comprising a motor shaft output; a motor drive transmission assembly coupled to the motor shaft output; a drive transmission assembly coupled to the output of the motor drive transmission, with an output of the drive transmission assembly coupled to the lower leg member for applying torque to the knee joint to rotate the lower leg member with respect to the thigh member; at least one sensor having at least one output from which a position of the knee joint with respect to an ankle joint can be determined while the wearer of the apparatus is in a seated position; and a controller that determines when the knee joint is moved to position that is forward of the ankle joint based on the least one output of the at least one sensor, and in response to said determination, controls the rotary motor so as to modulate impedance, position, or torque of the knee joint to help raise the person from the seated position to a standing position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of controlling a knee orthosis or prosthesis having at least one actuator, the knee orthosis or prosthesis being worn by a person, the method comprising the steps of:
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detecting the position of the person'"'"'s knee with respect to the person'"'"'s ankle while the person is in a seated position; determining when the knee is moved to position that is forward of the ankle based on a result of the detecting step, and generating an output indicative thereof; and actuating, in response to the output, at least one actuator of the knee orthosis or prosthesis to help raise the person from the seated position to a standing position. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification