Force and torque sensor for prosthetic and orthopedic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12379266-B2
Application number	US-201917268349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2019
Priority date	Aug 22, 2018
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure describes sensor devices that can be readily integrated with prosthetic devices to provide sensing of force and torque applied to the prosthetic device during use. The sensor device includes an adaptor section that readily connects to standard prosthetic components and a base section. The base section has a deflectable portion and a fixed portion. Cantilevers in the deflectable portion house magnets and corresponding Hall effect sensors are housed in the fixed portion. When axial and/or torsional forces are applied, the cantilevers deflect relative to the fixed section and the Hall effect sensors provide a corresponding output that correlates to the axial and/or torsional forces applied.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor device configured for measuring applied force and torque, the sensor device comprising:
a base section, the base section including
a deflectable portion having an inner point and one or more cantilevers extending outward in a coplanar fashion from the inner point,
a fixed portion spaced apart from the deflectable portion such that the one or more cantilevers of the deflectable portion are deflectable relative to the fixed portion, the fixed portion including at least one support bracket extending from or attached directly to the fixed portion, the support bracket comprising an aperture configured to receive an outer portion of a corresponding cantilever and to limit deflection of the corresponding cantilever in response to a torsional force imparted to the corresponding cantilever by movement of a user, and
a pillar extending between the inner point of the deflectable portion and the fixed portion to mechanically couple the deflectable portion to the fixed portion; and

a plurality of sensing components configured to measure deflection of the one or more cantilevers relative to the fixed portion.

2. The sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensing components are selected from the group consisting of Hall effect sensors and magnets, resistive potentiometers, capacitive displacement sensors, and optical sensors.

3. The sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensing components comprise:
at least one magnet, and
at least one corresponding Hall effect sensor corresponding to the magnet and configured to measure magnetic field strength resulting from a distance between the Hall effect sensor and the corresponding magnet,
wherein the sensing components are arranged such that output from the at least one Hall effect sensor relates to deflection of the one or more cantilevers relative to the fixed portion.

4. The sensor device of claim 3 , wherein the magnet is attached at an outer edge of a corresponding cantilever, and wherein the Hall effect sensor is attached on the fixed portion of the base section.

5. The sensor device of claim 3 , wherein the Hall effect sensor is disposed at the same radial distance as the magnet from the center of the sensor.

6. The sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising an adaptor section having a bottom surface and a connection element extending away from the bottom surface, wherein at least outer edges of the one or more cantilevers are in mechanical contact with the bottom surface of the adaptor section.

7. The sensor device of claim 6 , wherein the connection element is a male pyramid adaptor.

8. The sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the support bracket includes an attachment point for a sensing component.

9. The sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising an adaptor section having a bottom surface and a connection element extending away from the bottom surface, wherein at least outer edges of the one or more cantilevers are in mechanical contact with the bottom surface of the adaptor section, wherein a portion of the adaptor section also passes into the bracket aperture.

10. The sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the deflectable portion has two cantilevers extending in opposite directions from one another from the inner point.

11. The sensor device of claim 10 , wherein the fixed portion has two support brackets each associated with one of the two cantilevers and each being configured to limit deflection of the respective cantilever.

12. The sensor device of claim 11 , wherein a Hall effect sensor is attached to each support bracket and wherein a magnet is attached to an outer edge of each cantilever.

13. The sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the base section further includes at least one fastening structure for fastening the sensor device to a prosthesis component.

14. A prosthetic device, comprising:
first and second prosthetic components; and
a sensor device as in claim 1 disposed between and attached to the first and second prosthetic components.

15. The prosthetic device of claim 14 , wherein the prosthetic device is a lower limb prosthetic.

16. The prosthetic device of claim 15 , wherein the sensor device is disposed at an ankle joint.

17. The prosthetic device of claim 15 , wherein the sensor device is disposed at a knee joint.

18. A powered exoskeleton device comprising a sensor device as in claim 1 .

19. The sensor device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensing components comprise a primary Hall effect sensor and a reference Hall effect sensor disposed radially inward with respect to the primary Hall effect sensor.

20. A sensor device configured for measuring applied force and torque, the sensor device comprising:
a base section, the base section including
a deflectable portion having an inner point and one or more cantilevers extending outward in a coplanar fashion from the inner point,
a fixed portion spaced apart from the deflectable portion such that the one or more cantilevers of the deflectable portion are deflectable relative to the fixed portion, wherein the fixed portion further includes at least one support bracket extending from or attached directly to the fixed portion, the support bracket comprising an aperture configured to receive an outer portion of a corresponding cantilever and to limit deflection of the corresponding cantilever in response to a torsional force imparted to the corresponding cantilever by movement of a user, and
a pillar extending between the inner point of the deflectable portion and the fixed portion to mechanically couple the deflectable portion to the fixed portion; and

a plurality of sensing components configured to measure deflection of the one or more cantilevers relative to the fixed portion, wherein the plurality of sensing components includes at least one magnet and at least one corresponding Hall effect sensor corresponding to the magnet and configured to measure magnetic field strength resulting from a distance between the Hall effect sensor and the corresponding magnet,
wherein the sensing components are arranged such that output from the at least one Hall effect sensor relates to deflection of the one or more cantilevers relative to the fixed portion.

Assignees

• Univ Utah Res Found

Inventors

• Lenzi Tommaso
• Gabert Lukas

Classifications

• G01D5/145

  influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields (see G01R33/06) · CPC title

• A61F2002/6863

  magnetic · CPC title

• A61F2/68

  Operating or control means · CPC title

• A61F2/6607

  Ankle joints · CPC title

• A61F2/64

  Knee joints · CPC title