Artificial ankle-foot system with spring, variable-damping, and series-elastic actuator components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11273060-B2
Application number	US-201916458421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2019
Priority date	Mar 31, 2005
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

An artificial foot and ankle joint consists of a curved leaf spring foot member having a heel extremity and a toe extremity, and a flexible elastic ankle member that connects the foot member for rotation at the ankle joint. An actuator motor applies torque to the ankle joint to orient the foot when it is not in contact with the support surface and to store energy in a catapult spring that is released along with the energy stored in the leaf spring to propel the wearer forward. A ribbon clutch prevents the foot member from rotating in one direction beyond a predetermined limit position. A controllable damper is employed to lock the ankle joint or to absorb mechanical energy as needed. The controller and sensing mechanisms control both the actuator motor and the controllable damper at different times during the walking cycle for level walking, stair ascent, and stair descent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A prosthetic, orthotic or exoskeletal ankle joint device comprising:
a) a motor adapted to exert a torque about an ankle joint;
b) a spring operatively coupled to the motor;
c) an artificial sensory system comprising at least one gyroscope, and at least one accelerometer; and
d) a processor linking the motor and the sensory system, wherein the processor computes, based on signals from the at least one gyroscope and the at least one accelerometer, an elevation of the device relative to an absolute position of a point at the ankle joint device, wherein the processor outputs a control sequence for stair descent in which during a swing phase an angle of the ankle joint is reoriented for toe-first contact upon detection of an elevation below zero relative to an initial position of the point at the ankle joint, and wherein the processor causes, subsequent to toe-first contact and during a stance phase of stair descent, a damping response to be applied to the ankle joint to thereby control ankle dorsiflexion movement.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the artificial sensory system further includes a velocity sensor.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the artificial sensory system further includes a position sensor that includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a joint angular position sensor, motor shaft angular position sensor and an inertial absolute orientation position sensor.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Herr Hugh M
• Au Kwok Wai Samuel
• Paluska Daniel Joseph
• Dilworth Peter

Classifications

• B62D57/032

  with alternately or sequentially lifted supporting base and legs; with alternately or sequentially lifted feet or skid (B62D57/024 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61F2/64

  Knee joints · CPC title

• A61F2/6607 Primary

  Ankle joints · CPC title

• A61F2/60

  Artificial legs or feet or parts thereof · CPC title

• A61F2002/701

  operated by electrically controlled means, e.g. solenoids or torque motors · CPC title