Machine to Human Interfaces for Communication from a Lower Extremity Orthotic

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016250094-A1
Application number	US-201415033220-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Nov 12, 2013
Publication date	Sep 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A lower extremity orthosis is configured to be coupled to across at least one joint of a person for gait assistance and can incorporate knee, thigh, hip and ankle/foot assistive orthotic devices which can be used in various combinations to aid in the rehabilitation and restoration of muscular function in patients with impaired muscular function or control.

First claim

1 . A lower extremity orthosis, configurable to be coupled across at least one joint of a person for gait assistance comprising, in combination, two or more of:
a) a knee orthosis including a waist link configured to be coupled to the person, a thigh link, a shank link, configured to be coupled to the person, a knee joint and a torque generator, with said thigh link being rotatably connected both to said waist link at a hip joint and at the knee joint, said shank link being rotatably connected at the knee joint, and the torque generator being configured to exert torque about the knee joint to result in flexion or extension of a leg of a person wearing the lower extremity orthosis, with forces generated by the torque generator being reacted at said waist link and the shank link; b) a thigh orthosis including left and right, interconnected thigh structures configured to be coupled to the person and a single actuator configured to drive the left and right thigh structures equally and in opposite directions; c) a hip orthosis including a thigh link, a waist link, and an actuator, with said thigh link and said waist link being configured to be coupled to the person, said thigh link being rotatably connected to said waist link at a hip joint, and said actuator being positioned to provide a force on the thigh link during late stance and early swing; and d) an ankle orthosis including a shank structure configured to couple to a shank of the person and a foot structure configured to couple to a foot of the person, said shank structure and said foot structure being interconnected, whereby the ankle orthosis is configured to help prevent foot drop of the foot during a swing phase of a gait cycle.

2 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the knee orthosis which further includes a foot link rotatably connected to the shank link at an ankle joint, and where the forces generated by the torque generator are also reacted at the foot link.

3 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the knee orthosis and the torque generator extends directly between the thigh link and knee joint.

4 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the knee orthosis which comprises a foot structure configured to be coupled to a foot of the person, wherein the foot link is coupled to the foot structure at the ankle joint and wherein the lower extremity orthosis establishes the hip joint, the knee joint and the ankle joint.

5 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the thigh orthosis and the single actuator is constituted by a motor which drives a spline connection interconnecting the left and right thigh structures.

6 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 5 , further comprising at least one universal joint provided between the interconnected thigh structures.

7 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the thigh orthosis which comprises at least one inertial sensor providing thigh position information to a controller for regulating the single actuator.

8 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the thigh orthosis which comprises a link extending across a body of the person to interconnect the left and right thigh structures.

9 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 8 , wherein the single actuator rotates concentric with a hip pivot.

10 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the hip orthosis and said actuator comprises a spring resilient element acting between the waist link and the thigh link.

11 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 10 , wherein the spring resilient element constitutes a leaf spring.

12 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 10 , wherein the actuator further comprises a stop which is abutted by the spring resilient element at small hip flexion angles and disengages from the stop at larger angles.

13 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the hip orthosis which comprises a motion reversing mechanism interconnecting the thigh link with another thigh link coupled to the person.

14 . (canceled)

15 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 , wherein the lower extremity orthosis includes the ankle orthosis which comprises a brake device limiting pivoting movement of the foot structure relative to the shank structure.

16 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 15 , further comprising a ground sensor, wherein the brake device prevents relative pivoting movement between the foot and shank structure upon detecting when the foot structure engages a supporting ground surface.

17 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 15 , wherein the brake device constitutes an electromagnetic brake.

18 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 15 , further comprising a cable extending between the shank structure and the foot structure, said cable connected to a retraction resilient element configured to maintain tension in said cable, wherein the brake device is configured to prevent release of said cable so as to fix the foot structure relative to the shank structure during a swing phase of a gait cycle.

19 . The lower extremity orthosis of claim 1 comprising, in combination, at least three of the knee orthosis, thigh orthosis, hip orthosis and ankle orthosis.

20 . (canceled)

21 . A method of using a lower extremity orthosis coupled across at least one joint of a person for gait assistance, with the lower extremity orthosis including, in combination, two or more of:
a) a knee orthosis including a waist link configured to be coupled to the person, a thigh link, a shank link, configured to be coupled to the person, a knee joint and a torque generator, with said thigh link being rotatably connected both to said waist link at a hip joint and at the knee joint, said shank link being rotatably connected at the knee joint; b) a thigh orthosis including left and right, interconnected thigh structures configured to be coupled to the person and a single actuator; c) a hip orthosis including a thigh link, a waist link, and an actuator, with said thigh link and said waist link being configured to be coupled to the person, said thigh link being rotatably connected to said waist link at a hip joint; and d) an ankle orthosis including a shank structure configured to couple to a shank of the person and a foot structure configured to couple to a foot of the person, said shank structure and said foot structure being interconnected, said method comprising: when employing the knee orthosis, exerting a torque, with the torque generator, about the knee joint resulting in flexion or extension of a leg of the person, with forces generated by the torque generator being reacted at said waist link and the shank link; when employing the thigh orthosis, utilizing the single actuator to drive the left and right thigh structures equally and in opposite directions; when employing the hip orthosis, providing a force with said actuator on the thigh link during late stance and early swing; and when employing the ankle orthosis, preventing foot drop of the foot during a swing phase of a gait cycle through the ankle orthosis.

22 . The method of claim 21 wherein the knee orthosis is employed, with the knee orthosis further including a foot link rotatabl

Assignees

• Ekso Bionics Inc

Inventors

• Amundson Kurt
• Harding Nathan
• Angold Russdon
• Zoss Adam

Classifications

• A61H2201/5092

  Optical sensor · CPC title

• A61H3/00 Primary

  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

• A61H2201/165

  Wearable interfaces · CPC title

• A61H3/02

  Crutches · CPC title

• A61H2201/1628

  Pelvis · CPC title