Spring engagement and disengagement during gait cycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12357487-B2
Application number	US-202016795622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2020
Priority date	Feb 22, 2019
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

Various embodiments that pertain to a joint-based spring configuration. The joint-based spring configuration can be employed during a gait cycle. A gait cycle can comprise a driven phase and a resetting phase. The driven phase can be when a foot is on the ground and the resetting phase can be when the foot is off the ground and moving to the next time the foot is on the ground. While the foot is on the ground a spring can be engaged such that it winds and unwinds. Conversely, when the foot is off the ground, the spring can be disengaged to allow a more natural movement for a wearer. The effects and timing of the winding/unwinding and disengagement of the spring combine to reduce a wear's energy expenditure over a gait cycle, reducing metabolic rate and fatigue.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable energy system, comprising:
a spring; and
a hip coupling band mechanism configured to couple the spring to a wearer of the spring such that the spring moves with a joint of the wearer,
where the spring is engaged during a stance phase of a gait cycle of the wearer,
where the spring is disengaged during a swing phase of the gait cycle of the wearer,
where the stance phase comprises a first portion and a second portion,
where the second portion follows the first portion in time,
where during the first portion, the spring is wound,
where the joint is a hip joint,
where the first portion comprises a period when flexion occurs for the hip joint, and
where the second portion comprises a period when extension occurs for the hip joint.

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Army

Inventors

• Sharpes Nathan

Classifications

• A61H2201/164

  Feet or leg, e.g. pedal · CPC title

• A61H1/0266

  Foot · CPC title

• A61H1/0237

  for the lower limbs · CPC title

• A61H3/00

  Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about (apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04 {; applying electrical currents by contact electrodes for stimulating motor muscles, e.g. walking assistance A61N1/36003}) · CPC title

• A61F5/0125 Primary

  the device articulating around a single pivot-point · CPC title