ACTIVE SPINAL SUPPORT SYSTEM

• US 20140224849A1
• Filed: 02/14/2014
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovital LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovital LLC
• Inventors: Hiemenz, Gregory J., Kothera, Curt S., Sztein, Pablo J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,370,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 224/271
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0531 Spine
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0473 Neck restraints
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2003/045 and one additional strap around the waist
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 2003/144 Pack-carrying waist or torso belts
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/04 Sacks or packs carried on the body by means of two straps passing over the two shoulders
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/06 specially adapted for military purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 3/08 Carrying-frames; Frames combined with sacks
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/026 Back straightening devices with shoulder braces to force back the shoulder to obtain a correct curvature of the spine for clavicle fractures A61F5/05808; restraining devices A61F5/37

Abstract

A wearable spinal support system having an upper body adapter engaging the head and/or torso of a wearer and a lower body adapter engaging the hips/pelvis, the upper and lower body adapters joined by an articulated structural column. The structural column is made up of stacked vertebral elements each having an aperture provided there through such that a tendon can be fed through the aligned apertures of the vertebral elements. The tendons are fixed at one end and each engaged to mechanical control element at the other end such that the tension/payout in each tendon is independently variable under direction of a controller receiving sensor feedback in order to support the loaded upper body of the wearer and position it relative to the lower body when desirable according to the controller.

Claims

1. A spinal support system, comprising:

an upper body adapter for engaging a human wearer above the abdomen;

a structural column engaged at a first end of said upper body adapter, said structural column further comprising

a plurality of vertebral elements coupled together and arranged serially end-to-end, and

a tendon coupling said vertebral elements and configured to affect the alignment of said plurality of vertebral elements, wherein at least one orientation exists where said plurality of vertebral elements impart a degree of rigidity to said structural column.

2. The spinal support system of claim 1, additionally comprising a mechanical control element coupled to said tendon and configured to tension/payout/retract said tendon to thereby affect alignment of said plurality of vertebral elements.

3. The spinal support system of claim 1, additionally comprising

a lower body adaptor for engaging said human wearer below the abdomen, said structural column being engaged at a second end to said lower body adapter.

4. The spinal support system of claim 2, wherein said mechanical control element comprises a passive mechanical element chosen from among the group of springs, dampers, and levers.

5. The spinal support system of claim 2, wherein said mechanical control element comprises an active mechanical element chosen from among the group of electromechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electromagnetic, adaptive/smart material actuators.

6. The spinal support system of claim 1, wherein said tendon is a spring configured for imparting a pre-bias to said tendon.

7. The spinal support system of claim 5, further comprising at least one sensor.

8. The spinal support system of claim 7 further comprising a programmable controller in communication with said sensor(s) and said active mechanical element, whereby said controller commands said active mechanical element to vary the tension/payout/retraction of said tendon in response to said sensor to reduce loads transmitted to the back of said wearer.

9. The spinal support system of claim 1 configured for redirecting loads applied above the human wearer'"'"'s abdomen to another location.

10. The spinal support system of claim 9 configured for redirecting said loads to below the human wearer'"'"'s abdomen.

11. The spinal support system of claim 10 wherein said loads are redirected to any one from among the group consisting of a waist belt, hip belt, or leg brace worn by the human wearer.

12. The spinal support system of claim 9 wherein said upper body adapter is integrated into a backpack.

13. The spinal support system of claim 9, further comprising a support fixture attached to said structural column for redirecting said loads to a structure other than the wearer'"'"'s body.

14. The spinal support system of claim 13, wherein said support fixture is configured for attachment to a seat for redirecting said loads into said seat.

15. The spinal support system of claim 14, wherein said support fixture is permanently attached to said seat.

16. The spinal support system of claim 1, wherein said upper body adapter is adjustable to accommodate varying size human wearers.

17. The spinal support system of claim 3 wherein said upper body adapter, lower body adapter and structural column position the spine of said wearer into a desired position.

18. The spinal support system of claim 17 wherein said desired position increases the effective load bearing capacity of the wearer'"'"'s spine in a particular loading direction by redirecting said load away from the human wearer'"'"'s spine in a manner mechanically analogous to a short-circuit.

19. The spinal support system of claim 1 further comprising a helmet support fixture attached to said structural column for redirecting loads from a helmet worn by said human wearer to another location.

28. The spinal support system of claim 1, wherein said serial end-to-end arrangement of said plurality of vertebral elements is achieved via intervertebral elements, each of said intervertebral elements forming a single-axis hinge at each end-to-end connection between two of said vertebral elements.

29. The spinal support system of claim 28, wherein at least one of said intervertebral elements forms an effective multi-axis hinge such as that achieved with a spherical bearing between two of said vertebral elements.

30. The spinal support system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of vertebral elements is serially connected in such a way to allow for at least one stably aligned position.

31. The spinal support system of claim 1, wherein said vertebral elements contain physical features that allow for at least one stably aligned position.

32. The spinal support system of claim 1, wherein said tendon is a plurality of tendons, and wherein each of said vertebral elements has a plurality of apertures there though for passing said plurality of tendons.

33. The spinal support system of claim 1, wherein each of said vertebral elements has an aperture there through such that said serial end-to-end arrangement coaxially aligns said aperatures, through which said tendon passes to affect alignment.

34. The spinal support system of claim 33, wherein said aperture through said vertebral elements is non-circular.

35. The spinal support system of claim 34, wherein said controller commands said active mechanical element to vary the tension or payout/retraction of said tendon in response to said sensor to provide orthopedic assistance to the back of said wearer.

36. The spinal support system of claim 3, wherein said lower body adapter is adjustable to accommodate varying size human wearers.

20. A spinal support system, comprising:

an upper body adapter for engaging a human wearer above the abdomen;

a lower body adaptor for engaging said human wearer below the abdomen;

a structural column engaged at a first end to said upper body adapter and engaged at a second end to said lower body adapter, said structural column further comprising

a plurality of vertebral elements coupled together and arranged serially end-to-end;

a tendon coupling said vertebral elements; and

a mechanical control element operatively coupled to said tendon for imparting tension/payout/retraction to affect the alignment of said plurality of vertebral elements, wherein at least one orientation exists where said plurality of vertebral elements impart a degree of rigidity to said structural column.

21. The spinal support system of claim 20, wherein said mechanical control element comprises a passive mechanical element chosen from among the group of springs, dampers, and levers.

22. The spinal support system of claim 20, wherein said mechanical control element comprises an active mechanical element chosen from among the group of electromechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electromagnetic, adaptive/smart material actuators.

23. The spinal support system of claim 22, further comprising at least one sensor.

24. The spinal support system of claim 23 further comprising a programmable controller in communication with said sensor(s) and said active mechanical element, whereby said controller commands said active mechanical element to vary the tension/payout/retraction of said tendon in response to said sensor to reduce loads transmitted to the back of said wearer.

25. The spinal support system of claim 24, further comprising a support fixture attached to said structural column for redirecting said loads to a structure other than the wearer'"'"'s body.

26. The spinal support system of claim 25, wherein said support fixture is configured for attachment to a seat for redirecting said loads into said seat.

27. The spinal support system of claim 24 further comprising a helmet support fixture attached to said structural column for redirecting loads from a helmet worn by said human wearer to another location.