Safety monitoring and control system and methods for a legged mobility exoskeleton device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11077556-B2
Application number	US-201615743143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2016
Priority date	Dec 14, 2015
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A method of controlling a mobility device and related device including at least one drive component that drives at least one joint component is described. The control method may include executing a control application with an electronic controller to perform: receiving sensor information from sensors corresponding to a state and/or mode of the mobility device; analyzing the sensor information and determining a control mode of operation based on the sensor information; generating a control signal to output an alert via electronic indicators corresponding to the determined control mode; and controlling at least one drive component of the mobility device to selectively configure and modulate at least one joint component in accordance with the determined control mode of operation. Different alerts may be outputted by the electronic indicators depending on the nature or severity of the alert condition, accompanied by respective device control operations in accordance with the alert condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a mobility device including at least one drive component that drives at least one joint component, the control method comprising the steps of:
providing said mobility device, said mobility device further including an electronic controller for controlling operation of the at least one drive component to selectively control the at least one joint component;
storing, within said electronic controller, a control application to be executed by the electronic controller;
providing, on said mobility device, a plurality of sensors to detect a state of the at least one drive component and/or the at least one joint component;
providing, on said mobility device, a plurality of electronic indicators; and
wherein the electronic controller executes the control application to perform the steps of:
receiving sensor information from the sensors corresponding to operation of the mobility device;
analyzing the sensor information and determining a control mode of operation based on the sensor information;
generating a control signal to control the electronic indicators to output a visual alert that is visible to a user of the mobility device, the visual alert corresponding to the determined control mode of operation; and
controlling the at least one drive component of the mobility device to selectively control the at least one joint component in accordance with the determined control mode of operation;

wherein when the electronic controller determines that the control mode of operation is a device alerts control mode, the electronic controller further executes the control application to perform the steps of:
receiving the sensor information from the sensors corresponding to the operation of the mobility device and further corresponding to a safety alert condition regarding said operation of the mobility device, the safety alert condition comprising a condition corresponding to a hazard as to which the user of the mobility device may not be aware and as to which the user can perform a specific action to resolve the safety alert condition in response to an alert of the safety alert condition;
categorizing the safety alert condition by a degree of severity of the hazard;
controlling the electronic indicators to output the visual alert to indicate the degree of severity of the safety alert condition; and
controlling the mobility device in accordance with the degree of severity, by controlling an amount of torque applied by the drive component to the at least one joint component and the amount of torque is based upon the degree of severity;

wherein:
when the electronic controller categorizes the safety alert condition as a first level safety alert condition having a first degree of severity of the hazard, the electronic controller controls the at least one drive component to drive the at least one joint component in accordance with one or more modes of sitting, standing, walking, and transitions between modes of sitting, standing, or walking, else the plurality of sensors continue to detect the state of the at least one drive component and/or the at least one joint component; and
when the electronic controller categorizes the safety alert condition to have a second degree of severity of the hazard greater than the first degree of severity corresponding to a medium level safety alert condition, the electronic controller controls the at least one drive component to drive the at least one joint component to limit torque to the at least one joint component so as to limit transitions between standing, walking, and sitting, else the plurality of sensors continue to detect the state of the at least one drive component and/or the at least one joint component.

2. The control method of claim 1 , wherein when the electronic controller determines that the control mode of operation is a device standby control mode, the electronic controller further executes the control application to perform the steps of:
receiving the sensor information from the sensors and determining whether the mobility device is in a standby state that prevents transitions between mobility modes, the mobility modes including standing, walking, and sitting, or an active state that permits transitions between mobility modes;
controlling the electronic indicators to output the visual alert that is visible to the user of the mobility device to indicate whether the mobility device is in the standby state or the active state; and
controlling the mobility device in accordance with either the standby state or the active state as determined based on the sensor information.

3. The control method of claim 1 , when the electronic controller categorizes the safety alert condition to have the first degree of severity corresponding to the first level safety alert condition, the electronic controller controls the electronic indicators to output the visual alert having a first configuration that is visible to the user.

4. The control method of claim 3 , when the electronic controller categorizes the safety alert condition as the medium level safety alert condition, the electronic controller controls the electronic indicators to output the visual alert having a second configuration different from the first configuration that is visible to the user.

5. The control method of claim 1 , wherein when the electronic controller categorizes a safety alert condition to have a third degree of severity of the hazard greater than the second degree of severity corresponding to a severe safety alert condition, the electronic controller controls the at least one drive component to limit torque to prevent movement of the at least one joint component, else the plurality of sensors continue to detect the state of the at least one drive component and/or the at least one joint component.

6. The control method of claim 5 , wherein when the electronic controller categorizes the safety alert condition as the severe safety alert condition the electronic controller controls the electronic indicators to output the visual alert having a third configuration different from the first and second configurations that is visible to the user.

7. The control method of claim 1 , wherein the mobility device is a legged mobility exoskeleton device, and the at least one drive component that drives at least one joint component comprises a plurality of drive components that drive a plurality of joint components including at least knee joint components and hip joint components.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code for a control application for use in controlling a mobility device including at least one drive component that drives at least one joint component;
wherein the mobility device comprises: an electronic controller for controlling operation of the at least one drive component to selectively configure and modulate the at least one joint component; a plurality of sensors to detect a state of the at least one drive component and/or the at least one joint component; and a plurality of electronic indicators; and
the electronic controller executes the program code to perform the steps of:
receiving sensor information from the sensors corresponding to operation of the mobility device;
analyzing the sensor information and determining a control mode of operation based on the sensor information;
generating a control signal to control the electronic indicators to output a visual alert that is visible to a user of the mobility device, the visual alert corresponding to the determined control mode of operation; and
controlling the at least one drive component of the mobility device to selectively control the at least one joint component in accordance with the determined control mode of operation;

Assignees

• Parker Hannifin Corp

Inventors

• Dalley Skyler Ashton
• Farris Ryan
• Etheridge Steven
• Morrison Scott
• Murray Spencer

Classifications

• G05B2219/23172

  Different states with one LED, blinking, on and off or different colours · CPC title

• B25J9/1674 Primary

  characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic · CPC title

• G05B2219/40305

  Exoskeleton, human robot interaction, extenders · CPC title

• B25J9/0006

  Exoskeletons, i.e. resembling a human figure · CPC title

• B25J9/1615

  characterised by special kind of manipulator, e.g. planar, scara, gantry, cantilever, space, closed chain, passive/active joints and tendon driven manipulators · CPC title