Exercise device for use with electrical stimulation and related methods
First Claim
1. A device for use by a human subject in a seated, upright condition in conjunction with one or more electrodes for transmitting electrical stimulation to at least one muscle of a leg to perform an isometric contraction of the muscle, said device comprising:
- a brace including a seat adapted for receiving and supporting an upper portion of the leg of the subject in the seated, upright condition, the brace including a lower extension depending from the seat and configured to constrain a lower portion of the leg in order to allow the isometric contraction of the muscle to be achieved;
a stimulator for transmitting electrical stimulation to at least one muscle to cause the isometric contraction of the muscle; and
a controller for controlling the stimulation through the electrodes based at least partially on the sensed force;
wherein the controller is adapted to use an adaptive feed forward control algorithm to compare a sensed force during a first contraction cycle to a predetermined force goal and to adjust the stimulation during a subsequent contraction cycle based on said sensed force.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device includes a brace that may be used in conjunction with neuromuscular electrical stimulation to induce isometric contractions in one or more muscles of a subject'"'"'s limb muscles by way of a series of stimulation cycles. The device may include a controller for stimulating the leg muscles, and for autonomously adjusting the stimulation based on a measured force exerted by the leg on the brace. The controller may adjust the stimulation based on the measured force from a previous cycle as compared with a goal force. Additionally, the adjustment may be based on the comparison of the measured force within that cycle to the goal force, analyzed on a continuous basis within that cycle.
38 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A device for use by a human subject in a seated, upright condition in conjunction with one or more electrodes for transmitting electrical stimulation to at least one muscle of a leg to perform an isometric contraction of the muscle, said device comprising:
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a brace including a seat adapted for receiving and supporting an upper portion of the leg of the subject in the seated, upright condition, the brace including a lower extension depending from the seat and configured to constrain a lower portion of the leg in order to allow the isometric contraction of the muscle to be achieved; a stimulator for transmitting electrical stimulation to at least one muscle to cause the isometric contraction of the muscle; and a controller for controlling the stimulation through the electrodes based at least partially on the sensed force; wherein the controller is adapted to use an adaptive feed forward control algorithm to compare a sensed force during a first contraction cycle to a predetermined force goal and to adjust the stimulation during a subsequent contraction cycle based on said sensed force. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for stimulating a leg of a human subject to cause an isometric contraction in at least one leg muscle, comprising:
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constraining the movement of the subject'"'"'s leg using a brace, the subject being seated at least partially along an upper portion of the brace connected to a lower portion of the brace for receiving the subject'"'"'s lower leg; electrically stimulating the subject'"'"'s leg with a first pulse train during a first cycle in order to cause the isometric contraction and urge the lower leg against the lower portion of the brace; measuring a torque exerted by the leg during the first cycle; and adjusting a second pulse train during a second cycle to stimulate the subject'"'"'s leg at a stimulation level based at least partially on the measured torque during the first cycle. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for adaptively stimulating a limb of a human subject during a series of neuromuscular electrical stimulation cycles, each cycle comprising a train of stimulation pulses, said method comprising providing a brace adapted for:
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electrically stimulating the limb in a first cycle using a first pulse train to elicit a muscular contraction; determining an actual force applied by the muscular contraction during the first cycle; and electrically stimulating the limb at a first time interval in a second cycle using a second pulse train different from the first pulse train to stimulate the limb based at least partially on the actual force determined during the first cycle. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. An instrumented brace for adaptively stimulating a limb of a human subject during a series of neuromuscular electrical stimulation cycles, each cycle comprising a plurality of stimulation pulses, said brace comprising:
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a sensor for measuring a force exerted by the subject on the brace; and a controller adapted for electrically stimulating the limb in a first cycle using a first pulse train to elicit a muscular contraction, and for electrically stimulating the limb at a first time interval in a second cycle using a second pulse train different from the first pulse train to stimulate the limb based at least partially on a measured force during the first cycle. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification