초록

Wrist and upper extremity motion systems and method may include positioning a subject's wrist or upper extremity in a motion device, and actuating one or more motors associated with the device to provide at least one of assistance, perturbation, and resistance to a wrist or upper extremity motion.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. An upper extremity attachment, comprising: a shoulder-elbow motion device, comprising: a member assembly comprising a moveable member having at least one degree of freedom and a distal free end; a drive system coupled to the moveable member to drive the moveable member,

The invention claimed is: 1. An upper extremity attachment, comprising: a shoulder-elbow motion device, comprising: a member assembly comprising a moveable member having at least one degree of freedom and a distal free end; a drive system coupled to the moveable member to drive the moveable member, the drive system comprising at least one motor; and a wrist attachment coupled with at least one degree of freedom to the distal free end of the shoulder-elbow motion device and comprising: a forearm support, so sized and shaped as to be able to receive a forearm of a subject, the forearm support defining a long axis; a handle so positioned in relation to the forearm support and so sized and shaped as to be able to receive a hand; and a transmission system actuating rotation of the handle with at least three degrees of freedom with respect to the forearm support and comprising a pronation/supination (PS) motor coupled to a PS slide ring, the slide ring being rotatable about a PS axis and in a plane perpendicular to the forearm support long axis. 2. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the member assembly comprises: an arm member coupled at its distal end to the proximal end of a forearm member by an elbow joint, the arm member and the forearm member rotatable with respect to one another about the elbow joint; a third member coupled at its distal end to the midshaft of the forearm member by an elbow actuation joint, the third member and the forearm member rotatable with respect to one another about the elbow actuation joint; and a fourth member coupled at its proximal end to the proximal end of the arm member by a shoulder joint, the fourth member and the arm member rotatable with respect to one another about the shoulder joint; the fourth member also coupled at its distal end to the proximal end of the third member by a fourth joint, the third member and the fourth member rotatable with respect to one another about the fourth joint. 3. The upper extremity attachment of claim 2, wherein the four members are oriented in a plane and are rotatable in that plane. 4. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the drive system comprises: a shoulder motor coupled to one of the joints and controlling motion of the shoulder joint; and an elbow motor coupled to one of the joints and controlling motion of the elbow actuation joint. 5. The upper extremity attachment of claim 4, wherein the shoulder motor and the elbow motor are positioned along a common vertical axis perpendicular to the plane. 6. The upper extremity attachment of claim 4, wherein the shoulder motor and the elbow motor are coupled to the shoulder joint. 7. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the PS slide ring is so mounted to the forearm support as to make the forearm support rotatable with the PS slide ring. 8. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the PS motor is mounted to the forearm support. 9. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the PS slide ring comprises an integral gear, and the PS motor is coupled to the PS slide ring by a pinion gear engaging the integral gear. 10. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the wrist attachment transmission system comprises a differential mechanism, the differential mechanism including: a first differential motor; a second differential motor; and a gear system coupling the first and second differential motors to an arm, the arm being rotatable with two degrees of freedom about a flexion/extension (FE) axis and an abduction/adduction (AA) axis substantially perpendicular to the FE axis. 11. The upper extremity attachment of claim 10, wherein the differential mechanism is coupled to the PS slide ring. 12. The upper extremity attachment of claim 10, wherein the differential mechanism gear system comprises: two endgears, one coupled to each of the first and second differential motors; each endgear rigidly coupled to a respective endbevel gear; and a spider bevel gear engaging both endbevel gears. 13. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the handle has at most two degrees of freedom with respect to the arm of the wrist attachment. 14. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the handle is coupled to the forearm support. 15. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive system and the transmission system comprises at least one sensor. 16. The upper extremity attachment of claim 15, further comprising one sensor for each degree of freedom. 17. The upper extremity attachment of claim 15, wherein the sensor is a motion sensor. 18. The upper extremity attachment of claim 17, wherein the motion sensor comprises an optical encoder. 19. The upper extremity attachment of claim 15, wherein the sensor comprises a torque and/or force sensor. 20. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive system and the transmission system comprises at least one motion sensor and one torque and/or force sensor. 21. An upper extremity motion system, comprising: an upper extremity attachment as defined by claim 1; and a controller coupled to at least one of the drive system and the transmission system to control actuation of that system. 22. The upper extremity motion system of claim 21, further comprising a sensor coupled to at least one of the drive system and the transmission system and producing an output indicative of a state of the upper extremity motion system, wherein the controller controls actuation of the upper extremity motion system in response to the sensor output. 23. A method of upper extremity training, comprising: lowering a subject's forearm onto the forearm support of an upper extremity attachment as defined in claim 1; aligning the subject's wrist flexion axis with the FE axis of the wrist attachment; contacting the subject's hand to the handle of the wrist attachment; securing at least one of the subject's upper arm, forearm, wrist, and hand to the wrist attachment; and actuating at least one of the drive system and the transmission system to provide at least one of assistance, perturbation, and resistance to an upper extremity motion. 24. The upper extremity attachment of claim 1, wherein the forearm support is so sized and shaped as to be able to receive the subject's forearm from above without obstruction. 25. A wrist attachment, comprising: a forearm support, so sized and shaped as to be able to receive a forearm of a subject, the forearm support defining a long axis; a handle so positioned in relation to the forearm support and so sized and shaped as to be able to receive a hand, the handle having four degrees of freedom with respect to the forearm support; and a transmission system actuating rotation of the handle with three degrees of freedom with respect to the forearm support and comprising a pronation/supination (PS) motor coupled to a PS slide ring, the slide ring being rotatable about a PS axis and in a plane perpendicular to the forearm support long axis. 26. The wrist attachment of claim 25, wherein the forearm support has at most one degree of freedom with respect to a stationary base. 27. The wrist attachment of claim 25, wherein the PS motor is mounted to the forearm support. 28. The wrist attachment of claim 25, wherein the PS slide ring comprises an integral gear, and the PS motor is coupled to the PS slide ring by a pinion gear engaging the integral gear. 29. The wrist attachment of claim 25, wherein the PS slide ring is coupled to the PS motor by at least one of a capstan drive, a belt drive and a friction drive. 30. The wrist attachment of claim 25, wherein the transmission system comprises: a differential mechanism, the differential mechanism including: a first differential motor; a second differential motor; and a gear system coupling the first and second differential motors to an arm, the arm being rotatable with two degrees of freedom about a flexion/extension (FE) axis and an abduction/adduction (AA) axis substantially perpendicular to the FE axis. 31. The wrist attachment of claim 30, wherein the differential mechanism is coupled to the PS slide ring. 32. The wrist attachment of claim 30, wherein the differential mechanism gear system comprises: two endgears, one coupled to each of the first and second differential motors; each endgear rigidly coupled to a respective endbevel gear; and a spider bevel gear engaging both endbevel gears. 33. The wrist attachment of claim 30, wherein the differential mechanism gear system comprises: two end bevel gears coupled to a respective differential motor by at least one of a capstan drive, a belt drive and a friction drive; and a spider bevel gear engaging both endbevel gears. 34. The wrist attachment of claim 30, wherein the handle has at most two degrees of freedom with respect to the arm. 35. The wrist attachment of claim 25, wherein the handle is coupled to the forearm support. 36. The wrist attachment of claim 25, wherein the forearm support is so sized and shaped as to be able to receive the subject's forearm from above without obstruction. 37. The wrist attachment of claim 25, further comprising at least one sensor coupled to the transmission system. 38. The wrist attachment of claim 37, wherein the transmission system comprises one sensor for each degree of freedom. 39. The wrist attachment of claim 37, wherein the sensor comprises an optical encoder. 40. The wrist attachment of claim 37, wherein the sensor comprises a torque and/or force sensor. 41. The wrist attachment of claim 37, further comprising at least one motion sensor and one torque and/or force sensor. 42. A wrist motion system, comprising: a wrist attachment as defined by claim 25; and a controller coupled to the transmission system to control the actuation of the transmission system. 43. The wrist motion system of claim 42, further comprising a sensor coupled to the transmission system and producing an output indicative of a state of the wrist attachment, wherein the controller controls actuation of the transmission system in response to the sensor output. 44. A method of wrist training, comprising: lowering a subject's forearm onto the forearm support of a wrist attachment as defined in claim 25; aligning the subject's wrist flexion axis with the FE axis of the wrist attachment; contacting the subject's hand to the handle of the wrist attachment; securing at least one of the subject's upper arm, forearm, wrist, and hand to the wrist attachment; and actuating the transmission system to provide at least one of assistance, perturbation, and resistance to a wrist motion. 45. A wrist attachment, comprising: a forearm support, so sized and shaped as to be able to receive a forearm of a subject, the forearm support defining a long axis; a handle so positioned in relation to the forearm support and so sized and shaped as to be able to receive a hand, the handle having four degrees of freedom with respect to the forearm support; and a transmission system actuating rotation of the handle with three degrees of freedom with respect to the forearm support and comprising a differential mechanism, the differential mechanism including: a first differential motor; a second differential motor; and a gear system coupling the first and second differential motors to an arm, the arm being rotatable with two degrees of freedom about a flexion/extension (FE) axis and an abduction/adduction (AA) axis substantially perpendicular to the FE axis. 46. The wrist attachment of claim 45, wherein the differential mechanism gear system comprises: two endgears, one coupled to each of the first and second differential motors; each endgear rigidly coupled to a respective endbevel gear; and a spider bevel gear engaging both endbevel gears. 47. The wrist attachment of claim 45, wherein the differential mechanism gear system comprises: two endbevel gears coupled to a respective differential motor by at least one of a capstan drive, a belt drive and a friction drive; and a spider bevel gear engaging both endbevel gears. 48. The wrist attachment of claim 45, wherein the handle has at most two degrees of freedom with respect to the arm.