Microprocessor controlled prosthetic ankle system for footwear and terrain adaptation
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
A61F-002/66
A61F-002/70
A61F-002/68
A61F-002/74
A61F-002/50
A61F-002/76
출원번호
US-0466081
(2014-08-22)
등록번호
US-9763809
(2017-09-19)
발명자
/ 주소
Palmer, Michael L.
Prince, Stephen W.
출원인 / 주소
Freedom Innovations, LLC
대리인 / 주소
Cooley LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
66
초록▼
A prosthetic ankle includes a pair of prosthetic members movably coupled together to allow movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another. A hydraulic actuator or damper including hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic chamber is coupled to one of the pair of prosthetic members. A hy
A prosthetic ankle includes a pair of prosthetic members movably coupled together to allow movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another. A hydraulic actuator or damper including hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic chamber is coupled to one of the pair of prosthetic members. A hydraulic piston is movably disposed in the hydraulic chamber and coupled to another of the pair of prosthetic members. A hydraulic flow channel is fluidly coupled between opposite sides of the chamber to allow hydraulic fluid to move between the opposite sides of the chamber as the hydraulic piston moves therein. A voice coil valve is coupled to the hydraulic flow channel to vary resistance to flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel, and thus movement of the piston in the chamber, and thus influencing a rate of movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another.
대표청구항▼
1. A prosthetic ankle device, comprising: a) a pair of prosthetic members, comprising a shank link configured to be coupled to a remnant limb of an amputee and an artificial foot, movably coupled together to allow movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another;b) a hydraulic
1. A prosthetic ankle device, comprising: a) a pair of prosthetic members, comprising a shank link configured to be coupled to a remnant limb of an amputee and an artificial foot, movably coupled together to allow movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another;b) a hydraulic actuator or damper including hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic chamber coupled to one of the pair of prosthetic members, and a single hydraulic piston movably disposed in the hydraulic chamber and coupled to the other of the pair of prosthetic members, and wherein the hydraulic actuator or damper further comprises a floating piston, and wherein a variable volume chamber is formed between the floating piston and the hydraulic chamber;c) a hydraulic flow channel fluidly coupled between opposite sides of the chamber to allow hydraulic fluid to move between the opposite sides of the chamber during dorsiflexion and plantarflexion as the hydraulic piston moves therein; andd) a voice coil valve coupled to the hydraulic flow channel to vary resistance to flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel, and thus movement of the hydraulic piston in the chamber, and thus influencing a rate of movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another, wherein the voice coil valve is positioned within the hydraulic chamber. 2. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve opens or closes flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel, and thus allows or disallows movement of the hydraulic piston in the chamber, and thus unlocks or locks movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another. 3. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the artificial foot is pivotally coupled to the shank link, and further comprises: a flexure mounting the hydraulic actuator or damper to the artificial foot, and having a high stiffness in a direction parallel to a line-of-action of the hydraulic chamber to effectively transmit forces to and from the chamber, and having a low stiffness in at least one direction perpendicular to the line-of-action to resist side loads from being transmitted to the chamber. 4. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a) a housing carried by the shank link and surrounding at least a portion of the shank link;b) a control system disposed in the housing; andc) a battery electrically coupled to the control system and disposed in the housing,wherein the housing is configured to fit within an anatomical envelope of a natural leg. 5. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 4, wherein the housing, the shank link and the hydraulic actuator or damper are configured to fit within the anatomical envelope of a natural leg. 6. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the shank link further comprises: a yoke with a pair of arms extending towards and coupled to the artificial foot; andthe voice coil valve and the hydraulic actuator being at least partially disposed between the pair of arms of the yoke. 7. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein: a) the voice coil valve is disposed in and carried by the hydraulic piston, and movable with the hydraulic piston inside the hydraulic chamber; andb) the hydraulic channel extends through the hydraulic piston. 8. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a) a foot coupler mount attached to the artificial foot;b) the shank link comprising a yoke with a pair of arms extending towards and pivotally coupled to the foot coupler mount at a single-axis pivot;c) a force sensor, or a torque sensor, or both carried by the prosthetic ankle or a connector thereof to measure force, torque, or both applied by the user to the prosthetic ankle or artificial foot;d) a gyroscope, or an accelerometer, or both carried by the foot coupler mount or the artificial foot;e) an angle sensor carried by an ankle shaft of the pivot to measure relative angle between the shank link and the artificial foot; ande) a control system operatively coupled to the voice coil valve and the sensors and configured with instructions to: i) open the voice coil valve when the artificial foot is un-weighted to allow the artificial foot to pivot with respect to the shank link to allow for terrain adaptation;ii) close the voice coil valve when the artificial foot is weighted to lock the artificial foot with respect to the shank link to allow the artificial foot to function. 9. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: a mechanical ball lock carried by a piston rod of the hydraulic piston, and releasably engagable with the hydraulic chamber, to lock the hydraulic piston and the hydraulic chamber with respect to one another. 10. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the mechanical ball lock comprises: a) a collar rigidly affixed to the hydraulic chamber;b) an indentation in the interior of the collar;c) the piston rod extending through the collar and having a hollow therein;d) at least one hole in the piston rod;e) at least one ball movably disposed in the at least one hole of the piston rod;f) an engagement pin movably disposed in the hollow of the piston rod; andg) the engagement pin having an enlargement to displace the at least one ball partially into the indentation in the interior of the collar when the indentation is aligned with the at least one hole so that the at least one ball is in both the at least one hole and the indentation to lock the piston rod and the collar with respect to one another. 11. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve further comprises: a) a permanent magnet;b) a coil movable with respect to the permanent magnet; andc) a spool coupled to the coil and movable therewith, and disposed in and circumscribed by both the coil and the magnet. 12. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve is reciprocally positionable with current polarity induced, bi-directional movement, by selectively changing a polarity of an electric current applied to the voice coil valve, such that the voice coil valve is selectively positioned and bi-directionally driven in back and forth directions. 13. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 12, wherein the voice coil valve is selectively and positioned proportionally to an amount of the electric current applied to the voice coil valve, such that a selective and variable amount of electric current applied to the voice coil valve selectively and proportionally varies the resistance of the voice coil valve to the flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel. 14. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve includes a permanent magnet and a coil movable with respect to one another; and wherein an electric current applied to the coil causes a spool to move in either a first direction or a second direction based on a polarity of the electric current. 15. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 14, wherein a force generated by the coil is directly proportional to the electric current applied. 16. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve has a substantially linear time and force response. 17. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve has a rapid response rate, capable of greater than 100 cycles per second, and a low power consumption less than 1.8 Watts. 18. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve includes: a) a hydraulic valve operatively coupled in the hydraulic flow channel including an orifice and a spool movable with respect to one another to selectively resist flow of the hydraulic fluid through the orifice; andb) an electric actuator coupled to the hydraulic valve to move the orifice and the spool with respect to one another, including a permanent magnet and a coil movable with respect to one another, and reciprocally positionable with current polarity induced, bi-directional movement, by selectively changing the polarity of the electric current applied to the electric actuator, such that the spool is selectively positioned and bi-directionally driven in back and forth directions, such that the hydraulic valve varies resistance to the flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel. 19. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 18, wherein the electric current applied to the coil moves the coil with respect to the permanent magnet. 20. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve further comprises: a) a spool defining an inner flow channel;b) a sleeve circumscribing the spool;c) at least one orifice in the sleeve; andd) the spool slidable with respect to the sleeve and the at least one orifice, and having a distal end selectively positioned with respect to the at least one orifice. 21. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve further comprises: a) a spool defining an inner flow channel;b) a sleeve circumscribing the spool;c) at least one orifice in the sleeve;d) the spool slidable with respect to the sleeve and the at least one orifice, and having a distal end selectively positioned with respect to the at least one orifice; ande) the orifice having a longitudinally varying width from a proximal end to a distal end along a longitudinal length of the orifice. 22. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the voice coil valve has a coil and a spool with a path of travel parallel with a path of travel of the hydraulic piston. 23. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hydraulic actuator or damper further comprises an orifice and a check valve fluidly coupling the hydraulic chamber and the variable volume chamber. 24. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the check valve permits flow from the variable volume chamber into the hydraulic chamber. 25. The prosthetic ankle device in accordance with claim 23, wherein the orifice and the check valve are in parallel.
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