DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING RELATIVE DISPLACEMENTS OF BODY PARTS OR BODY AREAS

• US 20150366489A1
• Filed: 06/21/2013
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA
• Original Assignee: Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH (OTTO BOCK Holding GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: VON MARCARD, Timo, KRUKENBERG, Jorg
• Granted Patent: US 10,638,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3945 Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3958 emitting a signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3975 active
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1127 using markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/34 the beams of light being detected by photocells

Abstract

Devices and methods for determining relative displacements of body parts or body areas, with a transmitter and a sensor associated with the transmitter, wherein at least one shadowing device, which is displaceable relative to the sensor and/or the transmitter and is fixed to at least one body part or body area, is arranged between the transmitter and the sensor.

Claims

1. A device for determining relative displacements of body parts or body areas, comprising:

a transmitter and a sensor assigned to the transmitter;

at least one shadowing apparatus, which is secured to at least one body part or body area and which is displaceable relative to at least one of the sensor and the transmitter, and is arranged between the transmitter and the sensor.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is embodied as a light source, magnet, emitter or transmitter emitting electromagnetic waves.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shadowing apparatus is arranged between the sensor and the transmitter and is directed to the sensor.

4. The device as claimed claim 1, wherein a plurality of shadowing apparatuses are arranged in succession in the displacement direction.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shadowing apparatus is embodied as a coating applied to a main body as a polarization filter or as a region of the main body with deviating transmittance or emission, deviating field line alignment or deviating magnetic flux.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the main body has a substantially round cross section.

7. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the main body has a flexible embodiment.

8. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the main body has an elongate embodiment and the transmitter is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the main body in a manner emitting in a direction toward the sensor.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shadowing apparatus is securable to a body part or body area in a torsion resistant manner at one end and freely rotatable at another end.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one apparatus is assigned to the shadowing apparatus, on which at least one apparatus, which is to be secured on a body part or body area, at least one sensor is fastened and the shadowing apparatus is mounted in a manner displaceable relative to the sensor.

11. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shadowing apparatus is arranged at, or embodied on, a main body embodied as a conductor and the transmitter is arranged next to the conductor and irradiates the conductor or feeds the signal in a longitudinal extent of the conductor into the latter.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is embodied for measuring an intensity in one or more frequency ranges.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of sensors are arranged in succession in a longitudinal extent of the shadowing apparatus.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an evaluation apparatus is assigned to the sensor.

15. A method for measuring a relative displacement of body parts or body areas in relation to one another, comprising:

securing a shadowing apparatus in a stationary manner to a first body part or body area at one point;

transmitting a signal in a direction of a sensor;

displacing the shadowing apparatus due to a relative displacement of body parts or body areas;

registering a changing incidence on the sensor due to the displacement of the shadowing apparatus;

evaluating the changing incidence in an evaluation apparatus.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the shadowing apparatus is embodied as an elongate main body and secured in a torsion resistant manner at one end, and at least two sensors arranged offset in relation to one another are arranged next to the shadowing apparatus and a rotational direction is determined by evaluating a phase shift of the signal.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein a plurality of shadowing apparatuses are arranged in succession in a direction of the displacing and a length measurement is performed by means of the sensor.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the signal is fed into a main body, embodied as a conductor, along the longitudinal extent thereof and decoupled from the conductor in a direction of the sensor, wherein the at least one shadowing apparatus is arranged at, or embodied on, the conductor.

19. A device for determining relative displacements of body parts or body areas, comprising:

a transmitter;

a sensor assigned to the transmitter;

at least one shadowing apparatus secured to at least one body part or body area and arranged between the transmitter and the sensor;

wherein the at least one shadowing apparatus is displaceable relative to at least one of the sensor and the transmitter.

20. The device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the transmitter is embodied as at least one of a light source, a magnet, an emitter, or a transmitter emitting electromagnetic waves.