METHOD FOR DETERMINING MALPOSITIONS IN THE SET-UP OF A PROSTHESIS

Abstract

A method for configuring a prosthesis and/or orthosis or for determining malpositions in the set-up of a prosthesis or orthosis of the lower limb. The method includes recording a first set of measurement data of at least one sensor that is fixed to a body part of a person, wherein the first set of measurement data is allocated to a first state of movement of the person, recording a second set of measurement data of at least one sensor that is fixed to a body part of a person, wherein the second set of measurement data is allocated to a second state of movement of the person, and evaluating the first and second set of measurement data.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a prosthesis and/or orthosis or for determining malpositions in the set-up of a prosthesis and/or orthosis of a lower limb, the method comprising: recording a first set of measurement data from at least one sensor that is fixed to a body part of a person, the first set of measurement data being allocated to a first state of movement of the person; recording a second set of measurement data from at least one sensor that is fixed to a body part of the person, the second set of measurement data being allocated to a second state of movement of the person, the first and second states of movement differing from one another; evaluating the first and second sets of measurement data; determining a corrective measure using the evaluation of the first and second sets of measurement data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second state of movement is selected on the basis of the first set of measurement data.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the selected second state of movement is displayed via a communication device, especially by way of an audio signal and/or a haptic signal and/or a visual signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first state of movement is recognized from the first set of measurement data and/or the second state of movement is recognized from the second set of measurement data.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the corrective measure is emitted by the communication device, and the corrective measure may at least also constitute an exchange of at least one component of the orthosis and/or prosthesis.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the corrective measure is transmitted by the communication device to a component of the orthosis and/or prosthesis, the component being configured to carry out the corrective measure in response to the transmitted signals.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein technical properties and/or restrictions of the orthosis or prosthesis and/or movement ranges and/or limitations of the person are taken into account during the evaluation of the first and second sets of measurement data.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of measurement data and/or the second set of measurement data is recorded by several sensors, the several sensors being used for the first and second set of measurement data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or second set of measurement data also originates from sensors that are fixed to an untreated limb of the person, wherein a symmetry of a gait pattern is determined from the first and second sets of measurement data.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first state of movement or the second state of movement is slow walking, fast walking, climbing stairs, walking on an incline or standing.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first state of movement also differs from the second state of movement by way of a ground condition.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, upon evaluation of the first and second sets of measurement data, the first and/or second set of measurement data is compared with reference data that is preferably stored in an electronic memory.

13. A system with at least one sensor to be fixed to a body part of a person and an electronic data processing device, is the electronic data processing device configured to conduct a method according to claim 1, wherein the system has at least one communication device, having a display.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the electronic data processing device is configured to determine the body part to which the sensor is fixed.

15. A method for determining malpositions in the set-up of at least one of a prosthesis or an orthosis of a lower limb, the method comprising: recording a first set of measurement data from at least one sensor that is fixed to a body part of a person, the first set of measurement data being allocated to a first state of movement of the person; recording a second set of measurement data from at least one sensor that is fixed to a body part of the person, the second set of measurement data being allocated to a second state of movement of the person, the first and second states of movement differing from one another; evaluating the first and second sets of measurement data; determining a corrective measure based on the evaluation of the first and second sets of measurement data.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second state of movement is selected on the basis of the first set of measurement data.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the selected second state of movement is displayed via a communication device that generates at least one of an audio signal, a haptic signal, or a visual signal.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first state of movement is recognized from the first set of measurement data, and the second state of movement is recognized from the second set of measurement data.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the corrective measure is emitted by a communication device, and the corrective measure may at least also constitute an exchange of at least one component of the orthosis or prosthesis.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the corrective measure is transmitted by a communication device to a component of the orthosis or prosthesis, the component being configured to carry out the corrective measure in response to the transmitted corrective measure.

Description

[0075] In the following, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be explained in more detail by way of the attached drawings. They show:

[0076] FIG. 1—a system with several sensors that are able to capture information on movements, positions and/or orientations in order to execute a method according to a first example of an embodiment of the present invention,

[0077] FIG. 3—the schematic depiction of a leg with two brackets according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention,

[0078] FIG. 4—the depiction of a bracket according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention,

[0079] FIG. 5—the depiction of a bracket,

[0080] FIGS. 6 and 7—schematic details of the bracket from FIG. 5,

[0081] FIGS. 8 and 9—schematic depictions of fixing elements,

[0082] FIG. 10—the schematic depiction of a further bracket and

[0083] FIG. 11—the schematic view of a method.

[0084] FIG. 1 shows a person 2 to whose body a multitude of sensors 4 are fixed. The sensors 4 detect measured values, such as absolute angles, relative angles, speeds or accelerations and are preferably able to wirelessly transmit said values to an electronic data processing device 6. To ensure that the measured values determined by the sensors 4 are correctly evaluated in the electronic data processing device 6, the sensor must first of all be allocated to a body part 8. For the sake of clarity, only one body part 8 is illustrated, namely the upper arm of the person 2 shown on the left of FIG. 1.

[0085] To be able to achieve an allocation of the sensors 4 to the various body parts 8, the electronic data processing device 6—in the example of an embodiment shown—sends a signal 10, by means of which the sensor 4 arranged on the body part 8 is stimulated to emit a sensor signal or response signal.

[0086] FIG. 2 shows another embodiment in which the person 2 only has sensors in the arm area. According to the example of the embodiment of the present invention, the sensors on the upper and lower arms in particular can be arranged on the upper and lower arms by way of brackets, which are described in more detail later. The sensor 4 depicted on the upper right of the upper arm in FIG. 2 emits signals 10 that can be detected by the other sensors 4. By determining run-times, distances between the sensors 4 can be determined, thereby also enabling the determination of the arrangements of the individual sensors 4 on the body parts 8 through the comparison of said distances with pre-defined, calculated or measured patterns.

[0087] FIG. 3 shows a schematic depiction of a leg 12 on which two sensors 4 are arranged. This is achieved via brackets 14 which may be configured according to the invention and are only schematically depicted in FIG. 3.

[0088] FIG. 4 shows such a bracket 14. It features two fixing elements 16 that are separated from one another by a spacer element 18. The two fixing elements 16 feature slits 20, through which, for example, a fixing belt can be guided, so that the bracket 14 can be fixed to the respective body part 8.

[0089] In the example of an embodiment shown, the spacer element 18 has two individual elements 22 that are arranged next to one another. This ensures that the bending stiffness of the spacer 18 is considerably lower in a first direction than the bending stiffness in a second direction.

[0090] FIG. 5 shows a different configuration of the bracket 14. It also features two fixing elements 16, between which the spacer element 18 is situated, wherein said spacer element also features two individual elements 22. A sensor fixing element 24 is situated on these individual elements 22, wherein in the example of an embodiment shown said fixing element is designed such that it can be displaced along the individual elements 22 and thus along the spacer element 18.

[0091] FIG. 6 shows an enlarged depiction of one of the fixing elements 16 from another perspective. Two openings 26 can be seen in which the individual elements 22 are inserted. A belt 28 is situated on the fixing element 16, wherein said belt can be placed around a body part. In the example of an embodiment shown, a velcro element 30 is situated at the free end of the belt 28, wherein said velcro element can be attached to an outer side 32 of the belt 28, such that the belt 28 is closed and the fixing element 16 is arranged on the body part 8. In the example of an embodiment shown, an anti-slip coating 34 is provided on a side of the fixing element 16 facing the body part 8, by means of which a slipping of the fixing element 16 and therefore of the bracket 14 relative to the body part 8 should be prevented.

[0092] FIG. 7 depicts the sensor fixing element 24 and the individual elements 22, depicted by a dashed line only. The sensor fixing element 24 features two clamping arms 36 which at least partially enclose the individual elements 22 as depicted, thereby fixing the sensor fixing element 24 to the individual elements 22. In the example of an embodiment shown, an anti-slip coating 34 is provided between the individual elements 22 and the clamping arms 36 of the sensor fixing element 24, by means of which an inadvertent displacement and slipping of the sensor fixing element 24 relative to the spacer element 18 and its individual elements 22 is prevented.

[0093] FIGS. 8 and 9 show a fixing element 16 in the form of a belt 28. An adjustment device 38 with a control dial 40 is situated on said belt. The control dial can carry out adjustments depending on the body part 8 on which the sensor with this fixing element 16 is arranged. The corresponding identifier is shown on a small display 42; in the example of an embodiment shown, a slide controller 44 can also be used to adjust whether a sensor 4 arranged on a bracket 14, which is equipped with such a fixing element 16, is arranged on a right or left-hand side of the body.

[0094] By adjusting the control dial 40 and the slide controller 44, it is possible to adjust, for instance, a signal, which is emitted by the respective sensor 4 in response to a request signal 10, as depicted schematically in FIG. 1 for example. As a result, identical sensors can be used for, for example, different patients at different points and on different body parts 8, without having to adjust the sensors or the electronic data processing device.

[0095] FIG. 10 depicts a further embodiment of a fixing element 16, which also features a belt 28. The spacer element 18 is also shown in a side view, said spacer element being designed—in the example of an embodiment shown—in such a way that the sensor 4 can be arranged directly on the spacer element 18. Here, both the spacer element 18 and the sensor 4 have an electronic assembly 46, which can be brought into electrical contact by arranging the sensor 4 on the spacer element 18. This ensures that a signal, which is sent by the sensor 4 to an electronic data processing device 6, is modified in such a way that the electronic data processing device can determine from the signal information the type of sensor 4 and/or the position and orientation of the sensor 4, i.e. in particular it can determine the body part 8.

[0096] FIG. 11 depicts the schematic sequence of a method according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. The present method should check whether a prosthetic foot is correctly positioned in the anterior-posterior direction or whether it must be displaced in the anterior or posterior direction. To this end, the first measurement data is recorded in the first step in the method, characterized by “slow walking”. This preferably refers to the knee angle, i.e. the angle between the upper leg and the lower leg. This may be achieved, for instance, via two inertial angle sensors that measure the angle of the upper leg relative to the vertical and the angle of the lower leg relative to the vertical. Here, the vertical is the direction along the force of gravity. The thus recorded first set of measurement data is subsequently evaluated to determine whether a stance phase flexion is present. If this is not the case, the second set of measurement data is recorded in a further step of the method, characterized by “fast walking”. The fast walking constitutes the second state of movement. Here, slow walking and fast walking are not limited to certain ranges of walking speed. In each case, the designation only serves to indicate that the first state of movement of “slow walking” comprises a lower advancing speed than the second state of movement of “fast walking”. The walking itself occurs on a plane that is preferably perpendicular to the vertical, i.e. along the horizontal. This plane is preferably not tilted.

[0097] The thus recorded second set of measurement data are also examined to determine whether a stance phase flexion is present. A stance phase flexion refers to a bending of the knee during the first half of the stance phase in a gait cycle. Here, the heel strike is followed by a brief decrease in the knee angle, i.e. a flexion of the knee. If this does not occur in either state of movement, i.e. in neither set of recorded measurement data, it is recommended to displace the prosthetic foot in the posterior direction. In the case of a static set-up, the plantar flexion should then be adjusted. However, if a stance phase flexion is detected from the first set of measurement data and/or the second set of measurement data, it is necessary to check whether this flexion occurs within a reasonable speed range and exhibits sufficient strength. Too fast or too strong a stance phase flexion can be attributed to malpositions in the prosthetic set-up that must be corrected. To achieve this, it is recommended to displace the foot in the anterior direction and subsequently to preferably statically adjust the plantar flexion. This method shall be executed until the bending criteria has been fulfilled and the anterior-posterior alignment of the prosthetic foot has been determined to a sufficient degree. This method is preferably conducted on patients with transtibial amputations who consequently have a natural knee.

REFERENCE LIST

[0098] 2 person [0099] 4 sensor [0100] 6 electronic data processing device [0101] 8 body part [0102] 10 signal [0103] 12 leg [0104] 14 bracket [0105] 16 fixing element [0106] 18 spacer element [0107] 20 slit [0108] 22 individual element [0109] 24 sensor fixing element [0110] 26 opening [0111] 28 belt [0112] 30 velcro element [0113] 32 outer side [0114] 34 anti-slip coating [0115] 36 clamping arm [0116] 38 adjustment device [0117] 40 control dial [0118] 42 display [0119] 44 slide controller [0120] 46 electronic assembly