TRANSFEMORAL PROSTHETIC SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20130144402A1
• Filed: 01/30/2013
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ossur hf
• Original Assignee: Ossur hf
• Inventors: Clausen, Arinbjrn Viggo, Oddsson, Magns
• Granted Patent: US 10,299,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/60 Artificial legs or feet or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/64 Knee joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/6607 Ankle joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/70 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/72 Bioelectric control, e.g. myoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5004 operated by electro- or magnetorheological fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5006 Dampers, e.g. hydraulic damper
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/5018 for adjusting angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/607 Lower legs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/701 operated by electrically controlled means, e.g. solenoids or torque motors
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/704 computer-controlled, e.g. robotic control
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/705 Electromagnetic data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/7625 for measuring angular position
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/763 for measuring spatial position, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• 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 2002/768 for measuring battery status
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/7685 located on natural or sound-site limbs, e.g. comparison measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/769 Displaying measured values

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to increasing the functionality of a transfemoral prosthetic device. In one embodiment, the transfemoral prosthetic device is configured such that the prosthetic knee maintains a load consistent with a healthy knee walking on level ground, while the prosthetic ankle adjusts for the incline or decline. In certain embodiments, adjustments, such as a toe lift function, are automatically performed after about three strides of the transfemoral prosthetic device user and/or when each of the strides has a stride speed of at least about 0.55 meters/second.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a transfemoral prosthetic device, comprising:

detecting walking of a user of a transfemoral prosthetic device on a sloped surface, the transfemoral prosthetic device comprising an electronically controlled prosthetic ankle and a prosthetic knee, the prosthetic knee including at least a force sensor;

adjusting an angle of the prosthetic ankle in response to the detection of the sloped surface in a manner that the force sensor of the prosthetic knee does not detect that the user is walking on a sloped surface; and

adjusting the angle of the prosthetic knee while the user walks on the sloped surface as though the user is walking on level ground.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prosthetic ankle communicates its joint angle to the prosthetic knee when the angle of the prosthetic ankle has changed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the prosthetic knee is an electronically controlled prosthetic knee.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data between the ankle and the knee.

5. A method of controlling a transfemoral prosthetic device, comprising:

detecting walking of a user of a transfemoral prosthetic device on a surface using at least a force measurement, the transfemoral prosthetic device comprising an electronically controlled prosthetic ankle and an electronically controlled prosthetic knee; and

controlling the knee based on the force measurement, wherein the knee is controlled to manage state changes based on whether the knee is on level ground, on different grades of slopes or on stairs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the prosthetic ankle communicates its joint angle to the prosthetic knee when the angle of the prosthetic ankle has changed.

7. A method of controlling a prosthetic ankle device, comprising:

monitoring, with at least one sensor, at least one of position and movement of one or more components of a prosthetic system comprising the prosthetic ankle device, wherein the prosthetic ankle device comprises a powered actuator configured to affect an ankle angle of the prosthetic ankle device; and

controlling the actuator to adjust the ankle angle of the prosthetic ankle device based on data received from the at least one sensor, wherein the actuator is adjusted in a different manner depending on the gait speed of the prosthetic ankle device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the actuator is adjusted differently for a particular phase of gait cycle depending on the gait speed of the prosthetic ankle device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the actuator is controlled based on whether a threshold gait speed is reached.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the adjusting the ankle angle comprises providing toe lift during a swing phase of the gait when a threshold gait speed is reached.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the actuator is controlled in a first manner for a relatively slower gait speed, and is controlled in a second manner for a relatively faster gait speed.

12. A method of controlling a prosthetic ankle device, comprising:

monitoring, with at least one sensor, at least one of position and movement of one or more components of a prosthetic system comprising the prosthetic ankle device, wherein the prosthetic ankle device comprises a powered actuator configured to affect an ankle angle of the prosthetic ankle device;

generating data indicative of the at least one of position and movement;

processing the data to determine a gait speed of a user of the prosthetic ankle device; and

adjusting the ankle angle to provide for toe lift during a swing phase of the gait cycle based on the gait speed.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the powered actuator is configured to actively adjust an ankle angle of the prosthetic ankle device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein processing the data comprises determining if the gait speed of the user reaches a particular threshold speed.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the powered actuator comprises a linear actuator.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising monitoring at least one of position and movement with at least one accelerometer.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising monitoring at least one of position and movement with at least one gyroscope.

18. A method for controlling a prosthetic ankle device, the method comprising:

monitoring, with at least one sensor, at least one of position and movement of a prosthetic system comprising the prosthetic ankle device, wherein the prosthetic ankle device comprises a foot unit, a lower limb member pivotally attached to the foot unit and an actuator configured to affect an ankle angle between the foot unit and the lower limb member;

controlling the actuator based on data obtained from the at least one sensor as the prosthetic ankle device moves on a first terrain, the actuator affecting a change in the ankle angle between the foot unit and the lower limb member during a particular phase of a gait cycle as the prosthetic ankle device moves on the first terrain; and

controlling the actuator based on data obtained from the at least one sensor as the prosthetic device moves on a second terrain, different from the first terrain, to prevent the change caused during the particular phase of the gait cycle while on the first terrain from occurring during said particular phase of the gait cycle while on the second terrain.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the actuator is controlled to cause toe movement while the prosthetic ankle device moves on the first terrain, and the actuator is controlled to prevent toe movement while the prosthetic ankle device moves on the second terrain.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the toe movement is toe lift.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the particular phase is a swing phase of a gait cycle.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first terrain is a level surface, and the second terrain is a sloped surface.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one sensor is used to measure a terrain variable upon which the prosthetic ankle device is moving, and the ankle angle is adjusted based on the measured terrain variable.