System and method for motion-controlled foot unit
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a prosthetic ankle device, the method comprising:
- measuring, with at least one sensor, at least one of position and movement of a prosthetic ankle device, wherein the prosthetic ankle device comprises a foot unit, a single lower limb member pivotally attached to the foot unit and at least one actuator having a first end connected to the foot unit and a second end connected to the lower limb member, the at least one actuator configured to adjust an angle between the foot unit and the lower limb member;
generating data indicative of the at least one of position and movement of the prosthetic ankle device;
processing the data with a processing module to determine a gait cycle phase; and
adjusting the prosthetic ankle device based on the determined gait cycle phase, wherein said adjusting comprises actuating the at least one actuator to move the foot unit relative to the lower limb member in a manner that substantially mimics movement of a healthy ankle, and wherein said adjusting further comprises, during a swing phase, first decreasing an ankle angle of the device to a dorsiflexion position and then increasing the ankle angle of the device to a plantarflexion position before contacting a ground surface.
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Abstract
A system and method associated with the movement of a limb. In one example, the system, such as a prosthetic or orthotic system, includes an actuator that actively controls, or adjusts, the angle between a foot unit and a lower limb member. A processing module may control movement of the actuator based on data obtained from a sensor module. For instance, sensing module data may include information relating to the gait of a user and may be used to adjust the foot unit to substantially mimic the movement of a natural, healthy ankle. The system may further accommodate, for example, level ground walking, traveling up/down stairs, traveling up/down sloped surfaces, and various other user movements. In addition, the processing module may receive user input or display output signals through an external interface. For example, the processing module may receive a heel height input from the user.
279 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a prosthetic ankle device, the method comprising:
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measuring, with at least one sensor, at least one of position and movement of a prosthetic ankle device, wherein the prosthetic ankle device comprises a foot unit, a single lower limb member pivotally attached to the foot unit and at least one actuator having a first end connected to the foot unit and a second end connected to the lower limb member, the at least one actuator configured to adjust an angle between the foot unit and the lower limb member; generating data indicative of the at least one of position and movement of the prosthetic ankle device; processing the data with a processing module to determine a gait cycle phase; and adjusting the prosthetic ankle device based on the determined gait cycle phase, wherein said adjusting comprises actuating the at least one actuator to move the foot unit relative to the lower limb member in a manner that substantially mimics movement of a healthy ankle, and wherein said adjusting further comprises, during a swing phase, first decreasing an ankle angle of the device to a dorsiflexion position and then increasing the ankle angle of the device to a plantarflexion position before contacting a ground surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for controlling a prosthetic ankle device, the method comprising:
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measuring, with at least one sensor, acceleration of a prosthetic ankle device, wherein the prosthetic ankle device comprises a foot unit, a single lower limb member pivotally attached to the foot unit and at least one actuator having a first end connected to the foot unit and a second end connected to the lower limb member, the at least one actuator configured to adjust an angle between the foot unit and the lower limb member; generating data indicative of the acceleration; processing the data with a processing module to determine a gait cycle phase; and adjusting the prosthetic ankle device based on the determined gait cycle phase, wherein said adjusting comprises actuating the at least one actuator to move the foot unit relative to the lower limb member in a manner that substantially mimics movement of a healthy ankle, and wherein said adjusting further comprises, during a swing phase, first decreasing an ankle angle of the device to a dorsiflexion position and then increasing the ankle angle of the device to a plantarflexion position before contacting ground.
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Specification