5064 results about "Lower limb" patented technology

A jacket of biological compatible material has an internal volume dimensioned for an apex of the heart to be inserted into the volume and for the jacket to be slipped over the heart. The jacket has a longitudinal dimension between upper and lower ends sufficient for the jacket to surround a lower portion of the heart with the jacket surrounding a valvular annulus of the heart and further surrounding the lower portion to cover at least the ventricular lower extremities of the heart. The jacket is adapted to be secured to the heart with the jacket surrounding at least the valvular annulus and the ventricular lower extremities. The jacket is adjustable on the heart to snugly conform to an external geometry of the heart and assume a maximum adjusted volume for the jacket to constrain circumferential expansion of the heart beyond the maximum adjusted volume during diastole and to permit unimpeded contraction of the heart during systole.

An inertial sensor based surgical navigation system for knee replacement surgery is disclosed. Inertial sensors composed of six-degree-of-freedom inertial chips, whose measurements are processed through a series of integration, quaternion, and kalman filter algorithms, are used to track the position and orientation of bones and surgical instruments. The system registers anatomically significant geometry, calculates joint centers and the mechanical axis of the knee, develops a visualization of the lower extremity that moves in real time, assists in the intra-operative planning of surgical cuts, determines the optimal cutting planes for cut guides and the optimal prosthesis position and orientation, and finally navigates the cut guides and the prosthesis to their optimal positions and orientations using a graphical user interface.

A stimulator for stimulating the leg or other parts of the body e.g. the leg in a patient with drop foot is provided, the stimulator being controlled by e.g a foot switch but being reliable in use and therefore commanding acceptance by users. The foot switch has to work in adverse environmental conditions and is subject to repeated use so that its characteristics vary with time. The invention provides a functional electrical stimulator for attachment to the leg that has adaptive characteristics and comprises first and second electrodes for attachment to the leg to apply an electrical stimulus, a foot switch for sensing foot rise or foot strike, a circuit responsive to said foot switch for generating stimulation pulses; and means forming part of said circuit for responding to changes in the resistance characteristics of said switch means by adjusting a corresponding response threshold of said circuit.The invention also provides a two-channel stimulator that offers various possibilities for controlling the signals to be supplied to different muscle groups. For example, means may be provided defining a signal pathway between the first and second channels so that the supply of stimulation pulses in one of said first and second channels can be controlled by the state of switch means associated with the other of said first and second channels. In a further embodiment means defining a signal pathway between the first and second channels is arranged so that the supply of stimulation pulses in one of said first and second channels can be controlled by the state of activity of the other of said first and second channels. In a yet further embodiment the first channel has means arranged to cause the stimulation pulses to time-out after a predetermined period and the second channel having no or disabled timing means so that supply of stimulation pulses is continuous in a predetermined state of limb position responsive switch means associated with that channel. The two-channel stimulator can be used e.g., to treat bilateral dropped foot.

A jacket of biological compatible material has an internal volume dimensioned for an apex of the heart to be inserted into the volume and for the jacket to be slipped over the heart. The jacket has a longitudinal dimension between upper and lower ends sufficient for the jacket to surround a lower portion of the heart with the jacket surrounding a valvular annulus of the heart and further surrounding the lower portion to cover at least the ventricular lower extremities of the heart. The jacket is adapted to be secured to the heart with the jacket surrounding at least the valvular annulus and the ventricular lower extremities. The jacket is adjustable on the heart to snugly conform to an external geometry of the heart and assume a maximum adjusted volume for the jacket to constrain circumferential expansion of the heart beyond the maximum adjusted volume during diastole and to permit unimpeded contraction of the heart during systole.

The lower extremity exoskeleton comprises two leg supports connectable to person's lower limbs and configured to rest on the ground during their stance phase. Each leg support comprises a thigh link and a shank link; a knee joint configured to allow flexion and extension between the shank link and the thigh link. The lower extremity exoskeleton further comprises an exoskeleton trunk connectable to the person'supper body. The exoskeleton trunk is connectable to the thigh links of the leg supports allowing for the flexion and extension between the leg supports and the exoskeleton trunk. Two torque generators are coupled to each of the knee joints. A power unit, capable of providing power, is coupled to the torque generators. In operation when a leg support is in a stance phase and climbing a slope or stairs, the power unit injects power into the respective torque generator thereby extending the respective knee angle. When a leg support is in stance phase and not climbing a slope or stairs, the power unit does not inject any power to the respective torque generator, but without dissipating any stored power in said power unit, it forces the torque generator to resist flexion of the respective knee joint. When a leg support is in a swing phase, the power unit does not inject any power to the respective torque generator, but without dissipating any stored power in said power unit, it forces the torque generator to minimize its resistance to knee flexion and extension.

A modular exoskeletal device adapted to fit the lower extremities of a patient during rehabilitation. The device has only two actuators during the standing stage of rehabilitation. Two additional actuators can be added, as modules, during the walking stage of rehabilitation. The actuators are affixed to the patient and provide controlled motion to at least one of the joints of the patient. A stationary control unit is separated from the patient. The control unit communicates with and directs the actuators, and has a hybrid control algorithm, such that the actuator forces are adjusted as the patient regains control of some joint motions, which is based upon the sliding-mode control theory. A back brace is affixed to the patient and helps to keep the torso of the patient in a stable, substantially vertical position.

An ECG electrode chest pad particularly adapted for use in emergency room situations having upper fit portions with upper limb electrodes, and elongated central or medial base fit portion with a plurality of precordal unipolar electrodes and lower fit portions with lower limb electrodes, said electrodes being attached to leads which are internal to the base chest pad and terminate into at least one lead branch adapted to plug into an ECG monitor and having a perforation in the base pad material such that one group of electrodes may be separated from a second group of electrodes to facilitate ease of patient monitoring and complimentary medical procedures.

Generally described the invention relates to methods and apparatuses for aligning the lower extremities of a patient with a mechanical axis. More specifically, the present invention provides an exoskeleton or external framework that positions a patient's leg into a desired mechanical axis in preparation for surgery or other medical treatment.

A lower extremity exoskeleton, configurable to be coupled to a person, comprises two leg supports configurable to be coupled to the person's lower limbs and configured to rest on the ground during their stance phases. Each leg support comprises a thigh link, a shank link, and two knee joints. Each knee joint is configured to allow flexion and extension between the respective shank link and the respective thigh link. The lower extremity exoskeleton also comprises an exoskeleton trunk configurable to be coupled to the person's upper body. The exoskeleton trunk is rotatably connectable to the thigh links of the leg supports allowing for the flexion and extension between the leg supports and the exoskeleton trunk. In this exemplary embodiment, the energy required for flexion and extension movement between the shank link and the respective thigh link of a leg support over a cyclic knee motion is provided by the person.

The present invention provides orthotic devices for use in managing the treatment and prevention of lower extremity injuries, including foot ulcers. In various aspects, the present invention provides foot-worn orthotics which provide for improved compliance monitoring, and methods of their manufacture and use.

A system and method associated with the movement of a limb. In one example, the system, such as a prosthetic or orthotic system, includes an actuator that actively controls, or adjusts, the angle between a foot unit and a lower limb member. A processing module may control movement of the actuator based on data obtained from a sensor module. For instance, sensing module data may include information relating to the gait of a user and may be used to adjust the foot unit to substantially mimic the movement of a natural, healthy ankle. The system may further accommodate, for example, level ground walking, traveling up / down stairs, traveling up / down sloped surfaces, and various other user movements. In addition, the processing module may receive user input or display output signals through an external interface. For example, the processing module may receive a heel height input from the user.

An apparatus for assisting limb includes a body attachment, a link for upper leg, and a knee joint unit, a link for lower leg, a lower limb attachment, a drive unit and a knee joint actuator. The body attachment is attached to a trunk of a user. The link for upper leg is placed alongside with an upper leg of the user and coupled with the body attachment. The link for lower leg is placed alongside with a lower leg of the user and coupled with the link for the upper leg via the knee joint unit. The lower limb attachment is attached to one of the lower leg and a foot of the user, and coupled with the link for lower leg. The knee joint actuator is placed in the body attachment so as to apply rotational torque to the knee joint unit via the drive unit.

The invention relates to a motion control method of a lower limb rehabilitative robot. In the method, aiming at different rehabilitation stages of a patient, two working modes of passive training and active training are carried out: under the mode of passive training, the patient is driven by controlling the robot to finish specific motions or motion according to a right physiological gait track; abnormal motions of the patient are completely restrained; and the patient passively follows the robot to do walking rehabilitation training; under the mode of active training, limited abnormal motions of the patient are restrained by the robot; through a real-time detection on joint driving forces generated when the patient acts on the robot in the motion process, human-computer interaction moment is extracted by utilizing an inverse dynamic model to judge the active motion intention of lower limbs of the patient; and the interaction moment is converted into correction value of gait track by utilizing an impedance controller to directly correct or generate the gait training track the patient expects through an adaptive controller, therefore, the purpose that the robot can provide auxiliary force and resistant force for the rehabilitation training can be indirectly realized. By means of the motion control method of the lower limb rehabilitative robot, rehabilitation training motions suitable for different rehabilitation stages can be provided for a dysbasia patient, thereby enhancing active participation degree of the rehabilitation training of the patient, building confidence of the rehabilitation and positivity of the motion, and then enhancing effect of the rehabilitation training.

Instrumented orthoses with more sophisticated structures provide for coordinated support and rehabilitation of complex joints and multiple injured joints. Improved instrumented orthoses can include hinges that can rotate in multiple different planes. Particularly preferred embodiments include a shoulder brace with a hand hold and a lower extremities brace. Preferably, a control unit monitors the output of transducers used to instrument the brace. A patient can be prompted by the control unit for the performance of a variety of different monitored exercises.

The lower extremity exoskeleton comprises two leg supports connectable to person's lower limbs and configured to rest on the ground during their stance phase. Each leg support comprises a thigh link and a shank link; a knee joint configured to allow flexion and extension between the shank link and the thigh link. The lower extremity exoskeleton further comprises an exoskeleton trunk connectable to the person'supper body. The exoskeleton trunk is connectable to the thigh links of the leg supports allowing for the flexion and extension between the leg supports and the exoskeleton trunk. Two torque generators are coupled to each of the knee joints. A power unit, capable of providing power, is coupled to the torque generators. In operation when a leg support is in a stance phase and climbing a slope or stairs, the power unit injects power into the respective torque generator thereby extending the respective knee angle. When a leg support is in stance phase and not climbing a slope or stairs, the power unit does not inject any power to the respective torque generator, but without dissipating any stored power in said power unit, it forces the torque generator to resist flexion of the respective knee joint. When a leg support is in a swing phase, the power unit does not inject any power to the respective torque generator, but without dissipating any stored power in said power unit, it forces the torque generator to minimize its resistance to knee flexion and extension.

A portable, self-learning adaptive weight bearing monitoring system for personal use during rehabilitation of orthopedic patients with fractures of the lower extremities. The system includes a flexible insole which is worn inside the shoe. The insole includes pressure and / or force sensor that measure the GRF force applied at key bearing points under the foot or other portions of the patient's lower extremity. The sensors are, in turn, connected through an A / D converter to a CPU that is connected so as to drive a stimulator that delivers closed-loop sensory stimulation (electrical, mechanical, and / or audio) as feedback to encourage the patient to load the optimal target weight for the limb for which the weight bearing force is being measured. Accurate real-time monitoring of the weight bearing during physical rehabilitation is also provided, and, through the use of closed-loop sensory stimulation, the patient is given continuous feedback for improving rehabilitation.

The invention discloses a wearable lower limb exoskeleton device, which comprises a waist supporting frame, a waist object carrier, an adjustable hip mechanism, a connecting rod adjustable knee joint mechanism, a connecting rod adjustable ankle joint mechanism, pressure detection shoes, a leg connecting rod, a constraint part and various connecting pieces. Both lower limbs have twelve rotational freedoms, the single lower limb has six degrees of freedom respectively, a hip has two degrees of freedom which finish bending and stretching as well as adduction and abduction movements of a hip joint, two joint axes always intersects at the center of the hip joint of a human body through the adjustment of the hip mechanism, and a knee joint has one degree of freedom which is coaxial with the knee joint of the human body and corresponds to the bending and stretching movement of the knee joint of the human body; and an ankle joint has three degrees of freedom. The device has good consistency of the movement of the hip joint and the movement of the human body during the walking of people; human-machine knee joints have small coaxality and position deviation; and the ankle joint has a compact structure. The device can be used for strengthening the abilities of walking with load and walking for a long time of wearers and detecting walking information of the wearers, and can also be used for helping people with slight obstacle of lower limb movement to normally walk and gradually rehabilitate.

Intramedullary osteosynthesis implant, permitting in particular arthrodesis (1) of a joint, for example an interphalangeal joint, or diaphyseal osteosynthesis of the upper limb or of the lower limb, comprising two sets of at least two rods (2, 3, 4, 5) each extending on either side of a central zone (6), said rods (2, 3; 4, 5) being substantially parallel at ambient temperature within the same set, each set of rods being intended to be impacted in the medullary canal of a diaphysis, said implant being made from a shape-memory material so that, at body temperature, the rods (2, 3; 4, 5) of the same set spread apart so as to be able to immobilize themselves in said medullary canal.

A system and method associated with the movement of a limb. In one example, the system, such as a prosthetic or orthotic system, includes an actuator that actively controls, or adjusts, the angle between a foot unit and a lower limb member. The actuator preferably selectively locks during a desired phase in a gait cycle of the limb and minimizes friction against a rotor of the actuator. A processing module may control movement of the actuator based on data obtained from a sensor module. For instance, sensing module data may include information relating to the gait of a user and may be used to adjust the foot unit to substantially mimic the movement of a natural, healthy ankle. The system may further accommodate, for example, level ground walking, traveling up / down stairs, traveling up / down sloped surfaces, and various other user movements. In addition, the processing module may receive user input or display output signals through an external interface. For example, the processing module may receive a heel height input from the user.

The invention provides a wearable exoskeleton lower limb rehabilitation robot, which comprises a foot exoskeleton, an ankle exoskeleton, a shank exoskeleton, a knee exoskeleton, a thigh exoskeleton, a hip joint exoskeleton and a waist exoskeleton, wherein the ankle exoskeleton is connected with the foot exoskeleton, the shank exoskeleton is connected with the ankle exoskeleton, the knee exoskeleton is connected with the shank exoskeleton, the thigh exoskeleton is connected with the knee exoskeleton, the hip joint exoskeleton is connected with the thigh exoskeleton, and the waist exoskeleton is connected with the hip joint exoskeleton. A harmonic speed reducer is used to drive, a disc type electric machine is utilized, so the zero rotation error as well as the well fit between the drive and the joints of patients are realized, the wearable exoskeleton lower limb rehabilitation robot can be driven by a battery which is fixed at the back of the patients, so the problem of the limit movement range of the traditional rehabilitation devices is solved, and the invention has the characteristic of portability.

Instrumented orthoses with more sophisticated structures provide for coordinated support and rehabilitation of complex joints and multiple injured joints. Improved instrumented orthoses can include hinges that can rotate in multiple different planes. Particularly preferred embodiments include a shoulder brace with a hand hold and a lower extremities brace. Preferably, a control unit monitors the output of transducers used to instrument the brace. A patient can be prompted by the control unit for the performance of a variety of different monitored exercises.

A lower extremity exoskeleton, configurable to be coupled to a person, comprises two leg supports configurable to be coupled to the person's lower limbs and configured to rest on the ground during their stance phases. Each leg support comprises a thigh link, a shank link, and two knee joints. Each knee joint is configured to allow flexion and extension between the respective shank link and the respective thigh link. The lower extremity exoskeleton also comprises an exoskeleton trunk configurable to be coupled to the person's upper body. The exoskeleton trunk is rotatably connectable to the thigh links of the leg supports allowing for the flexion and extension between the leg supports and the exoskeleton trunk. In this exemplary embodiment, the energy required for flexion and extension movement between the shank link and the respective thigh link of a leg support over a cyclic knee motion is provided by the person.

A lower extremity exoskeleton, configurable to be coupled to a person, includes: leg supports configurable to be coupled to the person's lower limbs and designed to rest on the ground during stance phases, with each leg support having a thigh link and a shank link; two knee joints, each configured to allow flexion and extension between respective shank and thigh links; an exoskeleton trunk configurable to be coupled to the person's upper body, rotatably connectable to the thigh links of the leg supports, allowing for the flexion and extension between the leg supports and the exoskeleton trunk; two hip actuators configured to create torques between the exoskeleton trunk and the leg supports; and at least one power unit capable of providing power to the hip actuators. In use, power is supplied to the hip actuators in an amount to reduce the energy consumed by a user during a walking cycle.

A lower extremity exoskeleton includes: at least one power unit; two leg supports designed to rest on the ground; two knee joints configured to allow flexion and extension between respective shank and thigh links of the leg supports; an exoskeleton trunk rotatably connectable to the leg supports; and two hip actuators configured to create torques between the exoskeleton trunk and the leg supports. In use, the hip actuators create a torque to move the leg supports backward relative to the exoskeleton trunk during a stance phase, which pushes the exoskeleton trunk forward. A second torque may be used to move the leg supports forward relative to the exoskeleton trunk into a swing phase. Additionally, a swing torque may be generated during the swing phase to move the leg support forward relative to the exoskeleton trunk. This results in decreased oxygen consumption and heart rate of a user wearing the exoskeleton.

The invention discloses a wearable lower limb exoskeleton walking-assisted robot, which comprises an ankle joint motion module, a knee joint motion module, a hip joint motion module, a drive module and a waist and supporting frame module, wherein the knee joint motion module is connected with the ankle joint motion module and the hip joint motion module respectively; the drive module is connected with the knee joint motion module and the ankle joint motion module respectively; and the hip joint motion module is connected with the waist and supporting frame module. During the walking period of the robot, the consistency of hip joint motion and human body motion is good, the coaxiality and the position deviation of the knee joints of a human body and the robot are small, and the ankle joint is compact in structure.

A walking brace for immobilizing and / or protecting the lower leg of a patient comprises a leg portion adapted to fit substantially around the lower leg of a patient and a sole portion that fits beneath the patient's foot. The sole portion is provided with a dual layer of resilient shock absorbing material disposed along its bottom surface. The dual layer comprises an upper layer of a relatively softer material and a lower layer of a relatively more durable material. The dual layer can provide good shock absorbency but can be made thinner to provide a lower profile. In another aspect of the invention, the walking brace is provided with one or more inflatable air cells to provide adjustable therapeutic pressure to the leg and the leg portion of the brace is in the form of a rigid shell provided with a protruding region for receiving the air cell outlet associated with each air cell such that the air cell outlet is directed toward the front of the walking brace for easy access by the user. In yet another aspect of the invention, the rigid shell member of the leg portion is provided with one or more longitudinal slits that allow expansion of the leg portion to accommodate an enlarged lower leg portion of a patient. The expanded leg portion can accommodate users with enlarged lower limbs, such as those suffering from severe edema.

The wearable lower limb walking external skeleton consists of waist support, four-rod hip mechanism, four-rod knee mechanism, four-rod heel knee mechanism and planta support connected successively. For amputated patient or muscular dystrophy patient, the present invention has auxiliary program written in advance for assisting walking. For tourist and the weak, the present invention is worn and the wearer walks, so that the displacement sensors acquires the motion gesture signals of the wearer, and the gait is recorded in the computer and copied to strengthen the walking ability of the wearer. The present invention is used as the walking aid for the patients and the equipment for walking tourist.

The invention discloses a lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot in the technical field of medical equipment. The lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot comprises an ankle joint motion module, a knee joint motion module, a hip joint motion module, a hip and support module and a crutch module, wherein one end of the knee joint motion module is connected with the ankle joint motion module, and the other end of the knee joint motion module is connected with the hip joint motion module; the hip and support module is connected with the hip joint motion module; and the crutch module is independent of an exoskeleton body. The lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation robot can help patients who suffer from paraplegia stand up and walk, and the bend and stretch motion of a knee joint and a hip joint is controlled by collecting contact information of a crutch and the ground so as to help the patients to stride; and an oppositely-pulled spring of the knee joint can help to reduce impact from the ground, so that patients can walk comfortably, and the efficiency of rehabilitation training is improved.

A lower extremity enhancer to be worn by a user includes two leg supports having a plurality of jointed links. Proximal ends of the leg supports are connected to a back frame. Distal ends of the leg supports are connected to two foot links. The leg supports are powered by a plurality of actuators adapted to apply torques to the leg supports in response to movement of the user's legs.