SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MOTION-CONTROLLED FOOT UNIT
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Abstract
A system and method associated with the movement of a limb. In one example, the system, such as a prosthetic or orthotic system, includes an actuator that actively controls, or adjusts, the angle between a foot unit and a lower limb member. A processing module may control movement of the actuator based on data obtained from a sensor module. For instance, sensing module data may include information relating to the gait of a user and may be used to adjust the foot unit to substantially mimic the movement of a natural, healthy ankle. The system may further accommodate, for example, level ground walking, traveling up/down stairs, traveling up/down sloped surfaces, and various other user movements. In addition, the processing module may receive user input or display output signals through an external interface. For example, the processing module may receive a heel height input from the user.
142 Citations
65 Claims
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1-23. -23. (canceled)
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24. A prosthetic foot system comprising:
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a prosthetic foot; a lower limb member operatively coupled to the prosthetic foot and configured to pivot relative to the prosthetic foot; and a power source configured to power rotation of the lower limb member relative to the prosthetic foot, wherein said rotation adjusts an angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot; wherein during a swing phase of the prosthetic foot during ambulation by a user on a ground surface, the prosthetic foot is configured to rotate relative to the lower limb member substantially mimicking the movement of a healthy ankle such that the angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot first decreases to a dorsiflexed position and then increases to a plantarflexed position before contacting the ground surface with the prosthetic foot. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method for controlling a prosthetic ankle device, the method comprising:
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measuring, with at least one sensor, at least one variable relating to at least one of position and movement of a prosthetic ankle device, wherein the prosthetic ankle device comprises a foot unit and a lower limb member pivotally attached and configured to move relative to the foot unit; generating data indicative of the at least one of position and movement of the prosthetic ankle device; processing the data with a processing module to determine a gait pattern, event or position; and adjusting the prosthetic ankle device based on the determined gait pattern, event or position to substantially mimic the movement of a healthy ankle, wherein said adjusting comprises causing a change in an angle between the foot unit and the lower limb member, and wherein during a swing phase, said adjusting causes first a decrease the angle to a dorsiflexion position and then an increase in the angle to a plantarflexion position. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method for controlling a prosthetic ankle device, the method comprising:
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monitoring, with at least one sensor, at least one variable relating to at least one of position and movement of a prosthetic ankle device throughout at least one gait cycle, wherein the device comprises a foot unit and a lower limb member operatively coupled to the foot unit and configured to pivot relative to the foot unit; generating data indicative of the at least one of position and movement throughout the at least one gait cycle; processing the data with a processing module to determine a current gait pattern, event, or position; determining ankle-angle adjustments corresponding to a determined gait pattern, event, or position; and adjusting the device based on the determined ankle-angle adjustments corresponding to the determined gait pattern, event, or position, said ankle-angle adjustments being applied over a swing phase of subsequent gait cycles in accordance with the determined gait pattern, event, or position. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A prosthetic foot system comprising:
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a prosthetic foot; a lower limb member operatively coupled to the prosthetic foot and configured to pivot relative to the prosthetic foot; a power source configured to power rotation of the lower limb member relative to the prosthetic foot, wherein said rotation adjusts an angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot; and an actuator powered by the power source to affect the rotation of the lower limb member relative to the prosthetic foot, the actuator generally disposed at a location corresponding to the location of a human ankle; wherein during a stance phase of the prosthetic foot during ambulation by a user on a ground surface, the prosthetic foot is configured to rotate relative to the lower limb member such that the angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot first decreases to a dorsiflexed position and then increases to a plantarflexed position toward the end of the stance phase. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A prosthetic foot system comprising:
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a prosthetic foot; a lower limb member operatively coupled to the prosthetic foot and configured to pivot relative to the prosthetic foot; an actuator operatively coupled to the prosthetic foot and the lower limb member, the actuator configured to affect an angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot; at least one sensor configured to monitor motion of at least one of the prosthetic foot and the lower limb member, the at least one sensor comprising a gyroscope; and at least one processing module configured to receive data from the at least one sensor regarding the monitored motion and to affect the angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot via at least the actuator in response to the monitored motion, wherein during a stance phase of the prosthetic foot during ambulation by a user on a ground surface, the prosthetic foot is configured to rotate relative to the lower limb member such that the angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot first decreases to a dorsiflexed position and then increases to a plantarflexed position toward the end of the stance phase. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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Specification