Prosthesis control system
First Claim
1. An adaptive control system for an artificial limb, comprising:
- a limb movement control device for mounting on the limb;
a sensor for generating electrical sensor signals in response to movement of the limb;
an electronic processing circuit electrically coupled to the sensor and the control device;
a remote operator control unit for the transmission of command signals to the limb; and
a receiver to form part of the limb and coupled to the processing circuit for receiving the command signals,wherein the processing circuit includes;
data generating means operable in a teach mode and a playback mode of the processing circuit automatically and repeatedly to generate measurement data values related to the speed of operation of the limb in response to the sensor signals,control device setting means operable to feed setting signals in both modes to the control device for adjusting the control device so as to affect movement of the limb, the setting means further being operable in the teach mode to feed the setting signals to the control device according to parameter values generated in the processing circuit in response to the command signals received by the processing circuit via the receiver from the remote control unit to adjust the control device in real time under operator control during operation of the limb,means arranged to process the parameter values representing selected settings of the control device obtained during the teach mode together with the associated said measurement data values to generate automatically a set of control data representing a relationship between speed of limb operation and control device settings, andstorage means for storing the set of control data,the setting means being further operable during the playback mode as the limb is operated to process the resulting said measurement data values in conjunction with the stored set of control data to generate the said setting signals for the control device, whereby the control device is automatically adjusted according to the speed of the limb operation.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An adaptive control system for an artificial limb has a piston and cylinder assembly for controlling knee joint flexion, an electronically driven motorised valve for varying the damping effect of the assembly, a proximity sensor for sensing knee flexion, and a processor circuit for mounting on the limb. The system also has a radio receiver connected to the processor circuit and an operator control unit for remote transmission of command signals to the receiver. In a teach mode, the system allows an operator to increment the valve opening by remote control to optimise operation of the limb, and to cause the processor circuit to record selected valve openings in conjunction with average step period values which are produced automatically by the system during use of the limb. Recording a new selected valve opening causes the processor circuit on the limb automatically to calculate a set of control data relating valve openings to walking speed ranges. This set of control data is used in a playback mode of the system for automatically adjusting the valve opening during normal use of the limb.
235 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An adaptive control system for an artificial limb, comprising:
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a limb movement control device for mounting on the limb; a sensor for generating electrical sensor signals in response to movement of the limb; an electronic processing circuit electrically coupled to the sensor and the control device; a remote operator control unit for the transmission of command signals to the limb; and a receiver to form part of the limb and coupled to the processing circuit for receiving the command signals, wherein the processing circuit includes; data generating means operable in a teach mode and a playback mode of the processing circuit automatically and repeatedly to generate measurement data values related to the speed of operation of the limb in response to the sensor signals, control device setting means operable to feed setting signals in both modes to the control device for adjusting the control device so as to affect movement of the limb, the setting means further being operable in the teach mode to feed the setting signals to the control device according to parameter values generated in the processing circuit in response to the command signals received by the processing circuit via the receiver from the remote control unit to adjust the control device in real time under operator control during operation of the limb, means arranged to process the parameter values representing selected settings of the control device obtained during the teach mode together with the associated said measurement data values to generate automatically a set of control data representing a relationship between speed of limb operation and control device settings, and storage means for storing the set of control data, the setting means being further operable during the playback mode as the limb is operated to process the resulting said measurement data values in conjunction with the stored set of control data to generate the said setting signals for the control device, whereby the control device is automatically adjusted according to the speed of the limb operation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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- 16. A method of controlling an artificial limb in which, during a teach phase, movement of the limb is automatically and repeatedly monitored by electronic means forming part of the limb with a series of measurement data values related to the speed of operation of the limb being generated in the electronic means, a remote control unit is operated in conjunction with a receiver forming part of the limb during operation of the limb to transmit command signals to the limb which are processed by the electronic means to generate setting signals for adjusting a limb movement control device of the limb in real time with the object of improving limb operation, data generated in the electronic means and representing selected settings of the control device are processed in the electronic means together with the associated said measurement data values to generate a set of control data representing a relationship between speed of limb operation and control device settings, and the set of control data is then stored in the electronic means, and in which method, during a playback phase, the movement of the limb is automatically and repeatedly monitored by the electronic means to generate a series of measurement data values related to the speed of operation of the limb which are then processed by the electronic means in conjunction with the stored set of control data to generate appropriate control device setting signals for automatically adjusting the control device according to the speed of limb operation.
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27. A prosthesis control system for an artificial limb, comprising:
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a limb movement controller arranged to control movement of the artificial limb; a sensor arranged to generate a sensor signal having a characteristic representative of the speed of operation of the artificial limb; a data storage device medium arranged to store a set of control data representing a relationship between settings of the controller and speeds of operation of the limb as represented by measurement values derived from the sensor signal; an electronic processor arranged, in a playback mode, to receive the sensor signal and to feed to the controller first setting signals for controlling the movement of the limb, the setting signals representing the controller settings of the scored control data related to the measurement values obtained from the received sensor signal; and a command signal receiver arranged to receive operator command signals in a teach mode of the processor during operation of the limb; wherein said processor is arranged, in the teach mode, to feed to the controller second setting signals in response to said command signals to adjust the controller so as to affect movement of the limb directly under operator control in real time during operation of the limb, to generate an updated set of control data representing a relationship between selected settings of the controller corresponding to said second setting signals and corresponding speeds of limb operation as represented by measurement values derived from the sensor signal, and to cause the updated set of control data to be stored in said data storage device medium for subsequent use in generating said first setting signals. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification