A61H2201/165

SINGLE-LOWER-LIMB REHABILITATION EXOSKELETON APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD
20230210707 · 2023-07-06 ·

A single-lower-limb rehabilitation exoskeleton apparatus and control methods includes a controller, an intact lower-limb component and a paretic lower-limb component connecting communicatively with the controller. The controller is used to determine the current state of the intact lower-limb through the intact lower-limb component and the current state of the paretic lower-limb through the paretic lower-limb component. When the intact lower-limb component is in the lifting state, the movement data of the intact lower-limb is collected and sent to the controller. The controller is used to determine the corresponding gait data for the paretic lower-limb component according to the movement data of the intact lower-limb and send the gait data to the paretic lower-limb component. The paretic lower-limb component is used to drive the paretic lower-limb to move or walk according to the gait data while the intact lower-limb is in the supporting state.

Reinforced therapeutic wrap and method
11547625 · 2023-01-10 · ·

A therapy wrap for treatment of at least a portion of an animate body having improved kink resistance. The therapy wrap may be selectively reinforced for improved kink resistance in only a portion of the wrap. The reinforcement may decrease the kink radius. The wrap may include a kink reducer in all or only a selected kink-prone region. The kink reducer may be selectively configured attachment points or spot welds. The therapy wrap may include a reinforcement layer of one or more discrete reinforcement members. The wrap may be formed by pre-tensioning the material layers while forming the fluid bladder and/or gas pressure bladder. The therapy wrap may be adapted to compensate for conditions that normally cause kinking of the wrap or buckling of the fluidic channels. Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing the wrap and methods of administering a temperature-controlled treatment to an anatomical body part.

EXOSKELETON ROBOT FOR EXPECTORATION ASSISTANCE AND CONTROL METHOD
20230210711 · 2023-07-06 ·

The present disclosure relates to an exoskeleton robot for expectoration assistance and a control method. In the exoskeleton robot, a respiratory sensor acquires a respiratory signal of a user to be assisted; a positive pressure module covers an upper abdomen of the user to be assisted; a negative pressure module is arranged on an outer wall of a thoracic cavity of the user to be assisted and wraps the whole thoracic cavity, and a negative pressure cavity is formed between a housing of the negative pressure module and the outer wall of the thoracic cavity; in an inhalation state, the rigidity of the housing of the negative pressure module increases; in an exhalation state, the rigidity of the housing of the negative pressure module decreases; the control module is respectively connected with the respiratory sensor, the positive pressure module, and the negative pressure module.

Devices exploiting hollow motors
11547626 · 2023-01-10 · ·

Vibration based stimulation or pressure based stimulation are commonly employed in a wide range of devices for medical, therapeutic, and recreational activities. These are designed to be applied against a predetermined region of a user's body. However, there are many instances where it would beneficial to provide the user with a “wearable” device where these one or more predetermined regions of the user's body may be inserted through or disposed within the device providing vibratory and/or pressure based stimulation. Further, such devices may be augmented with other therapeutic means such as light therapy or ultrasonic therapy. Accordingly, a range of wearable devices exploiting hollow shaft motors, electromagnetic actuators, and fluidics are presented.

MECHANICAL FOOT

A mechanical foot includes a mechanical ankle joint including a leg portion configured to be fixed to a patient's leg, a foot portion configured to be fixed to the patient's foot, and a revolute. The leg portion and the foot portion are connected through the revolute in a manner of being rotatable relative to each other. The revolute includes a foot connecting portion connected to the foot portion and a leg connecting portion connected to the leg portion, and the foot connecting portion and the leg connecting portion are connected in a manner of being rotatable relative to each other. The revolute further includes a first elastic element having one end connected to the foot connecting portion, and the other end connected to the leg connecting portion, so that a force maintaining the patient's foot substantially horizontal is provided through the revolute at a position of the mechanical ankle joint.

Massage Device
20230210714 · 2023-07-06 ·

A massage device for a person's appendage includes a plurality of enclosures each comprising an outer surface and a hollow interior space having a control circuit, a power source such as a rechargeable battery, a vibration mechanism, and preferably at least one motor and a gear arrangement. Each enclosure includes at least one roller driven by the gear arrangement and the at least one motor. A plurality of connectors are each fixed between two adjacent enclosures to form a ring with the enclosures and the connectors. The connectors are adapted to contract or expand such that with the person's appendage fitted through the ring, the connectors are retracted until the rollers each contact the person's appendage to move the device along or about the person's appendage while the vibration mechanism massages the person's appendage.

Gait evaluation apparatus, gait training system, and gait evaluation method

A gait evaluation apparatus that evaluates a training gait of a paralyzed patient suffering from paralysis in a leg includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of motion amounts of a paralyzed body portion according to a gait motion and an evaluation unit configured to evaluate that the gait motion is an abnormal gait in a case where at least one of the motion amounts acquired by the acquisition unit meets any one of a plurality of abnormal gait criteria set in advance. The abnormal gait criteria include at least two or more first criteria, which are criteria relevant to motion amounts of different parts of the paralyzed body portion, or at least two or more second criteria, which are criteria relevant to motion amounts of the same part of the paralyzed body portion in different directions.

Wearable upper limb rehabilitation training robot with precise force control

A wearable upper limb rehabilitation training robot with precise force control includes a wearable belt, a multi-degree-of-freedom robot arm, and a control box. The robot is worn on the waist of a person by using a belt, and driven by active actuators, to implement active and passive rehabilitation training in such degrees of freedom as adduction/abduction/anteflexion/extension of left and right shoulder joints and anteflexion/extension of left and right elbow joints. In addition, a force/torque sensor is mounted on a tip of the robot arm, to obtain a force between the tip of the robot arm and the human hand during rehabilitation training as a feedback signal, to adjust an operating state of the robot, thereby realizing the precise force control during the rehabilitation training.

Orthosis systems and rehabilitation of impaired body parts
11690774 · 2023-07-04 · ·

A system for moving or assisting in movement of a body part of a subject, as well as a rehabilitation system including such a movement assistance system, includes a body part interface configured to be secured to the body part, and a motor-actuated assembly connected to the body part interface to move the body part interface to cause flexion or extension movement of the body part. A force sensing module is configured to measure forces applied between the body part interface and the motor-actuated assembly to ascertain at least one of volitional flexion and volitional extension movement of the body part by the subject, among other functions that may be implemented in movement assistance and rehabilitation systems using the disclosed force sensing module designs.

Method for controlling a grasp assist system

A grasp assist system includes a glove having a glove palm and fingers, with the glove worn on a user's hand. A sensor measures flexion of the glove fingers, and thus a change of position and/or attitude of the fingers is determined. Finger saddles at least partially surround a phalange of a respective one of the user's fingers. The system uses one or more tendon actuators to pull on flexible tendons. Each tendon connects to a respective finger saddle. A controller is in communication with the actuators and sensor(s). The glove may use feedback from optional contact sensors to adjust tension, and may have a built-in restorative force. In executing a control method, the controller selectively applies tension to the tendons in response to finger flexion, via the tendon actuators, at a level sufficient for moving the user's fingers when the user executes a hand maneuver.