Method and apparatus of partial load relief system

Abstract

This invention provides a device and method for supporting a patient's weight during walking therapy. [Solution] The partial weight-bearing relief system includes a tether configured to connect to a connected device worn by the user to connect the user to the partial weight-bearing relief system. A method for providing walking training includes defining a reference length of the tether when the connected device is in an initial position and defining a threshold length of the tether. A first amount of partial weight-bearing relief is provided during walking training when the user moves relative to a surface and the length of the tether is shorter than the threshold length. A second amount of partial weight-bearing relief is provided during walking training when the user moves relative to a surface and the length of the tether is longer than the threshold length. The method further includes displaying data related to walking training on the display of an electronic device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[1001] This application relates to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 458648, titled "Methods," filed on 14 February 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. This asserts priority rights and interests in "and Apparatus for Body Weight Support System".

[0002]

[1002] This application relates to U.S. Patent No. 9,682,000, filed on January 20, 2013, titled "Methods," the entirety of which each of the disclosures is incorporated herein by reference. This relates to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015 / 0143627, filed on February 3, 2015, titled "Methods and Apparatus for Body Weight Support System," which is a continuation of U.S. Patent No. 9,855177, filed on March 26, 2014, titled "Methods and Apparatus for Body Weight Support System." [Background technology]

[0003]

[1003] The embodiments described herein relate to devices and methods for supporting a user's weight. More specifically, the embodiments described herein relate to devices and methods for supporting a user's weight during gait therapy.

[0004]

[1004] Successfully providing intensive but safe gait therapy to individuals with severe walking impairments can present challenges for skilled therapists. In the acute phase of multiple nerve injuries such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or similar, individuals often exhibit highly unstable walking patterns and low endurance, making it difficult for both the user (e.g., patient) and the therapist to safely practice walking. For this reason, rehabilitation centers often transition from level-ground walking training to treadmills where body-weight support systems can help minimize falls while increasing training intensity.

[0005]

[1005] In some cases, partially unweighted treadmill training can promote an increase in walking ability similar to, or even exceeding, that of conventional walking training. Unfortunately, there are few systems that facilitate the transition of patients from treadmill training to safe, weight-supported level-ground walking training. Furthermore, since the primary goal for most individuals with walking difficulties is to walk in their homes and communities rather than on a treadmill, it is often desirable that therapeutic interventions aimed at walking include level-ground walking training (e.g., rather than on a treadmill).

[0006]

[1006] Some known support systems involve training individuals with gait impairments on smooth, flat surfaces. However, in some systems, the therapist's interaction with the patient, particularly the patient's lower leg, is significantly hindered. For patients who require partial support to stabilize the knee and / or hip, or who need help to move their leg forward, these systems present a significant barrier between patient and therapist.

[0007]

[1007] Some known gait support systems are configured to provide static unloading to the patient supported by the system, that is, under static unloading. The length of the shoulder straps supporting the patient is set to a fixed length such that the patient either supports substantially all of their weight when the straps are loose and substantially no weight when the straps are tightened. Static unloading systems have been shown to result in abnormal ground reaction forces and altered muscle activity patterns of the lower limbs. Furthermore, static unloading systems hinder the vertical displacement of the patient, which may hinder certain forms of balance and postural therapy when a large range of motion is required. As a result, some known systems are unable to lift patients from a wheelchair to a standing position, thereby limiting the use of the system to individuals not confined to a wheelchair (e.g., patients with mild to moderate gait impairment).

[0008]

[1008] Some known static support systems may have limitations on the amount of partial unloading. In such systems, partial unloading is not continuously modulated but is adjusted before the start of a training session and remains substantially fixed at that level during training. Furthermore, the amount of unloading cannot be continuously adjusted, as it requires the operator to manually adjust the system.

[0009]

[1009] In other known systems, a patient may be supported by a passive trolley and rail system configured to support the patient while the patient physically pulls the trolley along an overhead rail during walking therapy. While the trolley may have relatively little mass, the patient may still feel its presence. Therefore, instead of being able to focus on balance, posture, and walking ability, the patient may have to compensate for the trolley's mechanics. For example, on a smooth, flat surface, if the subject suddenly stops, the trolley may continue to move forward, potentially destabilizing the subject, which could lead to an abnormal compensatory gait strategy that may persist when the subject is removed from the device.

[0010]

[1010] Some known level-ground walking support systems include motorized trolley and rail systems. In such known systems, the motorized trolley can be relatively bulky, which can impose height limitations on the system. For example, some known systems may have a maximum appropriate height for effective patient support. Some known systems may require a minimum ceiling height for the system to support patients of varying heights.

[0011]

[1011] While trolleys are motorized and programmed to follow the movement of the subject, the mechanism and overall system dynamics can result in a significant delay in the system's response, causing the patient to feel as if they are pulling a heavy, bulky trolley to move. Such system behavior can destabilize a disabled patient during walking. Furthermore, some known motorized systems include a thick bundle of power cables and / or control cables to power and control the trolley. Such cable bundles present significant challenges in routing and management, as well as in reducing trolley movement. For example, in some known systems, the cable bundles are arranged in a bellows configuration, so that they contract when the trolley moves toward the power source and extend when the trolley moves away from the power source. In this form, trolley movement is limited by the space occupied by the contracted cable bundles. In some examples, the cable bundles constitute a changing inertia that presents significant challenges in the performance of the control system and can therefore reduce the effectiveness of the entire motorized support system.

[0012]

[1012] Therefore, there is a need for improved devices and methods to support the patient's weight during gait therapy. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0013]

[1013] An apparatus and method for supporting a patient's weight during ambulation therapy are described herein. In some embodiments, a method of using a partial weight bearing system to provide partial weight bearing during ambulation training includes defining a reference length of a tether included within the partial weight bearing system. The tether is configured to be coupled to a connection device worn by a user to couple the user to the partial weight bearing system. The reference length of the tether when the connection device is in an initial position is defined. A threshold length of the tether is defined. A first amount of partial weight bearing is provided during ambulation training when the user moves relative to the surface and the length of the tether is shorter than the threshold length of the tether. A second amount of partial weight bearing is provided during ambulation training when the user moves relative to the surface and the length of the tether is longer than the threshold length of the tether. The method further includes displaying data related to ambulation training on a display of an electronic device included within the partial weight bearing system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1]

[1014] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a partial weight bearing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]

[1015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a partial weight bearing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3]

[1015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a partial weight bearing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4]

[1016] FIG. 3 is various perspective views showing a trolley included within the partial weight bearing system of FIG. 2. [Figure 5]

[1016] FIG. 3 is various perspective views showing a trolley included within the partial weight bearing system of FIG. 2. [Figure 6]

[1016] FIG. 3 is various perspective views showing a trolley included within the partial weight bearing system of FIG. 2. [Figure 7]

[1016] FIG. 3 is various perspective views showing a trolley included within the partial weight bearing system of FIG. 2. [[ID=2二十七]] [Figure 8]

[1017] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view showing a housing included within the trolley of FIG. 4. [Figure 9]

[1018] Exploded view showing the housing of FIG. 8. [Figure 10]

[1019] Enlarged view showing the portion identified as region Z in the trolley of FIG. 4. [Figure 11]

[1020] Bottom perspective view showing the electronic system contained within the trolley of FIG. 4. [Figure 12]

[1021] Perspective view showing the drive mechanism contained within the trolley of FIG. 4. [Figure 13]

[1022] Perspective view showing the first drive assembly contained within the drive mechanism of FIG. 12. [Figure 14]

[1022] Perspective view showing the first drive assembly contained within the drive mechanism of FIG. 12. [Figure 15]

[1023] Exploded view showing the first drive assembly of FIG. 13. [Figure 16]

[1023] Exploded view showing the first drive assembly of FIG. 13. [Figure 17]

[1024] Perspective view showing the first support member, second support member, and third support member respectively contained within the first drive assembly of FIG. 13. [Figure 18]

[1024] Perspective view showing the first support member, second support member, and third support member respectively contained within the first drive assembly of FIG. 13. [Figure 19]

[1024] Perspective view showing the first support member, second support member, and third support member respectively contained within the first drive assembly of FIG. 13. [Figure 20]

[1025] Exploded view showing the drive wheel sub - assembly contained within the first drive assembly of FIG. 13. [Figure 21]

[1026] Perspective view showing the auxiliary wheel sub - assembly contained within the first drive assembly of FIG. 13. [Figure 22]

[1027] Perspective view showing a part of the first drive assembly of FIG. 13, showing the auxiliary wheel sub - assembly of FIG. 21 coupled to the second support member of FIG. 18. [Figure 23]

[1028] This is a perspective view showing the first drive assembly in Figure 13 in contact with the support track. [Figure 24]

[1029] This is a perspective view showing the second drive assembly included in the drive mechanism of Figure 12. [Figure 25]

[1030] This is an exploded view showing the second drive assembly in Figure 24. [Figure 26]

[1031] This is a perspective view showing the second drive assembly in Figure 24 in contact with the support track in Figure 20. [Figure 27]

[1032] This is a perspective view showing the support mechanism and base included in the housing of Figure 8, both of which are included in the trolley of Figure 4. [Figure 28]

[1033] This is a perspective view showing the support mechanism in Figure 27. [Figure 29]

[1034] This is a perspective view showing the winch assembly included in the support mechanism of Figure 27. [Figure 30]

[1035] This is an exploded view showing the winch assembly in Figure 29. [Figure 31]

[1036] This is an exploded view showing the guide assembly included in the support mechanism of Figure 27. [Figure 32]

[1037] This is a perspective view of the support mechanism in Figure 27, without the winch assembly in Figure 28. [Figure 33]

[1038] This is an exploded view showing the cam assembly included in the support mechanism of Figure 27. [Figure 34]

[1039] This is a perspective view showing a patient connection mechanism according to one embodiment. [Figure 35]

[1040] This is a perspective view showing a partial load relief system according to one embodiment. [Figure 36]

[1041] This is a cross-sectional view of the partial load relief system in Figure 35 along line XX. [Figure 37]

[1042] This is a schematic diagram showing a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 38]

[1043] This is a perspective view showing a part of a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 39]

[1044] This is a perspective view showing a handcart included in the support system of Figure 38. [Figure 40]

[1045] This is a cross-sectional view showing the connecting members included in the handcart in Figure 39, along line 40-40. [Figure 41]

[1046] A top perspective view and a bottom perspective view showing a portion of a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 42]

[1046] A top perspective view and a bottom perspective view showing a portion of a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 43]

[1047] This is a perspective view showing a part of a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 44]

[1048] This is a cross-sectional view showing the stop mechanism included in the support system of Figure 43, along line 44-44. [Figure 45]

[1049] This is a schematic diagram showing an optical tracking system included in a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 46]

[1049] This is a schematic diagram showing an optical tracking system included in a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 47]

[1049] This is a schematic diagram showing an optical tracking system included in a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 48]

[1050] This is a schematic diagram showing a control diagram according to one embodiment. [Figure 49]

[1051] This is a graph showing the displacement of the patient's center of mass according to one embodiment. [Figure 50]

[1052] This is a graph showing the operating conditions related to a patient support mechanism that responds to patient movement according to one embodiment. [Figure 51]

[1052] This is a graph showing the operating conditions related to a patient support mechanism that responds to patient movement according to one embodiment. [Figure 52]

[1052] This is a graph showing the operating conditions related to a patient support mechanism that responds to patient movement according to one embodiment. [Figure 53]

[1052] This is a graph showing the operating conditions related to a patient support mechanism that responds to patient movement according to one embodiment. [Figure 54]

[1053] This figure shows a graphical representation of one or more operating conditions related to walking of an electrical stimulator and / or a patient with a disability while using a partial weight-bearing relief system according to one embodiment. [Figure 55]

[1054] This figure shows a graphical representation of a set of patient gait characteristics determined at least partially based on data related to a partial weight-bearing relief system and, for example, an electrical stimulator, according to one embodiment. [Figure 56]

[1055] A screenshot of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to the symmetrical analysis of a patient's gait, determined by at least partially a partial weight-bearing restriction system according to one embodiment. [Figure 57]

[1056] A screenshot of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to a patient's timed-up-and-go test, determined by at least partially a partial weight-bearing restriction system according to one embodiment. [Figure 58]

[1057] A screenshot of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to a patient's timed-distance test, determined by at least partially a partial weight-bearing restriction system according to one embodiment. [Figure 59]

[1058] A screenshot of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to a fall prevention system included in and / or implemented within a partial load-bearing system according to one embodiment. [Figure 60]

[1059] These are screenshots of a display graphically representing the parts of the fall prevention system shown in Figure 59 for the first mode and / or configuration, the second mode and / or configuration, and the third mode and / or configuration, respectively. [Figure 61]

[1059] These are screenshots of a display graphically representing the parts of the fall prevention system shown in Figure 59 for the first mode and / or configuration, the second mode and / or configuration, and the third mode and / or configuration, respectively. [Figure 62]

[1059] These are screenshots of a display graphically representing the parts of the fall prevention system shown in Figure 59 for the first mode and / or configuration, the second mode and / or configuration, and the third mode and / or configuration, respectively. [Figure 63]

[1060] This is a screenshot of a display graphically representing the part of the fall prevention system shown in Figure 59. [Figure 64]

[1061] Various screenshots of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to the use of a partial weight-bearing support system while a patient is using a treadmill, according to one embodiment. [Figure 65]

[1061] Various screenshots of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to the use of a partial weight-bearing support system while a patient is using a treadmill, according to one embodiment. [Figure 66]

[1061] Various screenshots of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to the use of a partial weight-bearing support system while a patient is using a treadmill, according to one embodiment. [Figure 67]

[1061] Various screenshots of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to the use of a partial weight-bearing support system while a patient is using a treadmill, according to one embodiment. [Figure 68]

[1061] Various screenshots of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to the use of a partial weight-bearing support system while a patient is using a treadmill, according to one embodiment. [Figure 69]

[1061] Various screenshots of a display showing a graphical representation of data related to the use of a partial weight-bearing support system while a patient is using a treadmill, according to one embodiment. [Figure 70]

[1062] This is a schematic diagram showing a part of the support track, a part of the power rail, and a turntable according to one embodiment. [Figure 71]

[1063] This is a schematic diagram showing a support system according to one embodiment. [Figure 72]

[1064] These are perspective views showing parts of power systems according to different embodiments. [Figure 73]

[1064] These are perspective views showing parts of power systems according to different embodiments. [Figure 74]

[1065] These are a front view, a side view, and a bottom view, respectively, showing a partial load relief system according to one embodiment. [Figure 75]

[1065] These are a front view, a side view, and a bottom view, respectively, showing a partial load relief system according to one embodiment. [Figure 76]

[1065] These are a front view, a side view, and a bottom view, respectively, showing a partial load relief system according to one embodiment. [Figure 77]

[1066] These are flowcharts, each illustrating a method for providing partial load relief according to a different embodiment. [Figure 78]

[1066] These are flowcharts, each illustrating a method for providing partial load relief according to a different embodiment. [Figure 79]

[1066] These are flowcharts, each illustrating a method for providing partial load relief according to a different embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015]

[1067] In some embodiments, a method of using a partial load-bearing system to provide partial load-bearing relief during walking training includes defining a reference length of a tether included within the partial load-bearing system. The tether is configured to be coupled to a connecting device worn by the user to connect the user to the partial load-bearing system. The reference length of the tether when the connecting device is in its initial position is defined. The threshold length of the tether is defined. A first amount of partial load-bearing relief is provided during walking training when the user moves relative to the surface and the length of the tether is shorter than the threshold length of the tether. A second amount of partial load-bearing relief is provided during walking training when the user moves relative to the surface and the length of the tether is longer than the threshold length of the tether. The method further includes displaying data related to walking training on a display of an electronic device included within the partial load-bearing system.

[0016]

[1068] In some embodiments, a method of using a partial load-bearing system to provide partial load-bearing relief during walking training includes defining a reference length of a tether contained within the partial load-bearing system. The tether is configured to be coupled to a connecting device worn by the user to connect the user to the partial load-bearing system. The reference length of the tether when the connecting device is in its initial position is defined. A first criterion related to a change in the length of the tether is defined, and a second criterion related to a change in the length of the tether is defined. The amount of partial load-bearing relief to be provided in response to a fall by the user during walking training is defined. The method includes determining that a fall has occurred based on the satisfaction of the first and second criteria, and providing that amount of partial load-bearing relief in response to the satisfaction of the first and second criteria.

[0017]

[1069] In some embodiments, a method of using a partial load-bearing support system to provide partial load-bearing support during walking training includes defining a reference length of a tether included within the partial load-bearing support system. The tether is configured to be coupled to a connecting device worn by the user to connect the user to the partial load-bearing support system. The reference length of the tether when the connecting device is in its initial position is defined. A threshold length of the tether is defined. The threshold length of the tether is related to the number of falls the user experiences during walking training. A threshold number of falls during walking training is defined. The method includes providing a predetermined amount of partial load-bearing support during walking training when the user moves relative to a surface and the number of falls is less than the threshold number of falls. In response to the number of falls being satisfied during walking training, the predetermined amount of partial load-bearing support to be provided to the user is increased. The method further includes displaying data related to walking training on a display of an electronic device included within the partial load-bearing support system.

[0018]

[1070] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a trolley having a drive mechanism, a patient support mechanism, and an electronic system. The drive mechanism is configured to movably suspend the trolley from a support track. The drive mechanism includes a first sensor configured to sense the operating conditions of the drive mechanism. The patient support mechanism includes a tether and a second sensor. The second sensor is configured to sense the operating conditions of the patient support mechanism. The tether can be operably coupled to a patient so that the patient support mechanism supports the patient. The electronic system is configured to update at least one operating condition of the drive mechanism or the patient support mechanism in response to receiving signals from the first sensor and the second sensor so that the patient support mechanism supports a predetermined amount of the patient's weight.

[0019]

[1071] In some embodiments, the device includes a drive mechanism, a patient support mechanism, and an electronic system. The drive mechanism is contained within a trolley and configured to suspend the trolley from a support track. The drive mechanism includes a first sensor configured to sense the operating conditions of the drive mechanism. The patient support mechanism is coupled to the trolley and includes a tether and a second sensor. The tether is configured to be operably coupled to the patient so that the patient support mechanism supports at least a portion of the patient's weight. The second sensor is configured to sense the operating conditions of the patient support mechanism. The electronic system is contained within the trolley and includes at least a processor and memory. The processor is configured to define the patient's gait characteristics at least in part based on signals received from the first sensor and signals received from the second sensor.

[0020]

[1072] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a signal related to at least one first operating condition, which is either a drive mechanism or a patient support mechanism. The patient support mechanism is coupled to an active trolley and configured to support a patient. The drive mechanism is coupled to the active trolley and configured to move the trolley along a support track in response to the patient's movement. A signal related to at least one second operating condition, which is either a drive mechanism or a patient support mechanism, is received. The difference between the first and second operating conditions is determined. Based at least in part on this determination, the gait characteristics of the patient supported by the patient support mechanism are defined.

[0021]

[1073] In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a first signal from a first sensor. The first signal relates to the operating conditions of a patient support mechanism included in the patient support system. The patient support mechanism includes a tether configured to connect the patient to the patient support mechanism so that the patient support system supports at least a portion of the patient's weight. A second signal is received from a second sensor. The second signal relates to the operating conditions of a drive mechanism included in the patient support system. The drive mechanism is configured to (1) suspend the patient support system from a support track and (2) move along the support track in response to the patient's movement. At least one gait characteristic related to the patient's movement is determined based at least in part on the operating conditions of the patient support mechanism and the operating conditions of the drive mechanism. A third signal is sent to an output device. The third signal indicates a command to output data related to at least one gait characteristic via the output device.

[0022]

[1074] In some embodiments, the system includes a first trolley and a second trolley movably suspended from a support track. The first trolley includes a patient connection mechanism configured to support a first patient. The first trolley is configured to move relative to the support track. The second trolley includes a patient connection mechanism configured to support a second patient. The second trolley is configured to move relative to the support track such that the movement of the second trolley is independent of the movement of the first trolley. A collision control assembly is configured to be coupled to one of the first trolley and the second trolley. The collision control assembly includes a bumper configured to prevent the first trolley from directly contacting the second trolley.

[0023]

[1075] In some embodiments, the device includes a coupling portion and a trolley portion. The coupling portion is coupled to the end of a support track. The coupling portion includes a first member and a second member. The second member is maintained in a fixed position relative to the support track, and the first member is configured to move relative to the support track to transition the coupling portion between a first configuration and a second configuration. The trolley portion is movably suspended from the support track and is coupled to the end of the first member. The trolley portion includes a bumper configured to be positioned in contact with a portion of the patient support system, such that as the bumper contacts the portion of the patient support system and the patient support system moves along the support track toward the end, the trolley portion moves from a first position to a second position relative to the support track. The first member of the coupling portion moves relative to the second member of the coupling portion when the trolley portion moves from the first position to the second position, thereby forming the coupling portion into a second configuration. The trolley portion and the coupling portion collectively restrict the movement of the patient support system toward the end of the support track when the coupling portion is in the second configuration.

[0024]

[1076] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a trolley, a patient connection mechanism, and a tracking member. The trolley is movably suspended from a support track. The trolley includes an electronic system having an imaging device. The electronic system is configured to control the movement of the trolley along the length of the support track. The patient connection mechanism is coupled to the trolley and is configured to support the patient as the patient moves from a first position to a second position. The tracking member is coupled to the patient connection mechanism and is configured to move relative to the trolley from a first position related to the patient's first position to a second position related to the patient's second position. The imaging device on the trolley is configured to capture images of the tracking member at the first position and images of the tracking member at the second position, and the electronic system is configured to control the movement of the trolley along the length of the support track, at least in part, based on the images of the tracking member at the first position and images of the tracking member at the second position.

[0025]

[1077] In some embodiments, the partial load relief system includes a trolley, a power rail operably coupled to a power supply, and a patient connection mechanism. The trolley includes a drive system, a control system, and a patient support system. The drive system is movably coupled to the support rail. At least a portion of the control system is physically and electrically coupled to the power rail. The patient support mechanism is at least temporarily coupled to the patient connection mechanism. The control system can control at least a portion of the patient support mechanism, at least in part, based on the force applied to the patient connection mechanism.

[0026]

[1078] In some embodiments, the partial weight-bearing support system includes a closed-loop track, a powered conductor coupled to the closed-loop track, an actively controlled trolley, and a patient support assembly. The actively controlled trolley is movably suspended from the closed-loop track and electrically coupled to the powered conductor. The patient support assembly is coupled to the trolley and configured to dynamically support the patient's weight.

[0027]

[1079] In some embodiments, the partial weight-bearing support device includes a housing, a drive element, a wheel assembly, and a patient support assembly. At least a portion of the drive element and at least a portion of the wheel assembly are located within the housing. The patient support assembly is coupled to the drive element and configured to dynamically support the patient's weight.

[0028]

[1080] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" refer to multiple objects unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. For example, the term "a member" is intended to mean a single member or combination of members, and "a material" is intended to mean one or more materials or combinations thereof.

[0029]

[1081] As used herein, the term “about” generally means ±10% of the stated value. For example, about 0.5 includes 0.45 and 0.55, about 10 includes 9 to 11, and about 1000 includes 900 to 1100.

[0030]

[1082] As used herein, the term “set” may refer to multiple features or a single feature having multiple parts. For example, when referring to a set of walls, a set of walls can be thought of as one wall having multiple parts, or as multiple separate walls. Thus, an item assembled as a whole may include a set of walls. Such a set of walls may include multiple parts that are either continuous or discontinuous from one another. For example, an item assembled as a whole may be said to form a set of walls that may include a set of retaining walls. A set of walls may also be manufactured from multiple items that are made separately and then joined together (e.g., by welding, adhesive, or any suitable method).

[0031]

[1083] As used herein, the term “parallel” generally describes the relationship between two geometric structures (two lines, two planes, one line and one plane, or analogous) such that they do not substantially intersect when extended substantially to infinity. For example, as used herein, a line is said to be parallel to another line if it does not intersect another line when extended to infinity. Similarly, when a flat surface (i.e., a two-dimensional surface) is said to be parallel to a line, all points along the line are substantially equal in distance from the nearest part of the surface. Two geometric structures are described herein as “parallel” or “substantially parallel” when they are nominally parallel to each other, such as when they are parallel to each other within a certain tolerance. Such tolerances include, for example, manufacturing tolerances, measurement tolerances, or analogous.

[0032]

[1084] As used herein, the term “tension” refers to an internal force (i.e., stress) within an object in response to an external force pulling the object axially. For example, a mass-bearing object suspended at one end from a rope and fixedly attached to a support at the other end exerts a force that places the rope under tension. The stress within an object under tension can be characterized with respect to the object’s cross-sectional area. For example, less stress is applied to an object with a larger cross-sectional area than to another object with a smaller cross-sectional area. The maximum stress acting on an object under tension before plastic deformation (e.g., permanent deformation such as necking and / or similar) is characterized by the tensile strength of the object. Tensile strength is the intensity (i.e., inherent to) the constituent material. Thus, the maximum amount of stress in an object under tension can be increased or decreased by forming the object from materials having higher or lower tensile strengths, respectively.

[0033]

[1085] As used herein, the term “kinematics” describes the motion of a point, an object, or a system of objects without considering the cause of the motion. For example, the kinematics of an object can describe translational motion, rotational motion, or a combination of both translational and rotational motion. When considering the kinematics of a system of objects, known mathematical formulas can be used to describe the motion of an object relative to a plane or set of planes, an axis or set of axes, and / or one or more other objects included in the system of objects.

[0034]

[1086] As used herein, the terms “feedback,” “feedback system,” and / or “feedback loop” relate to a system in which past or present characteristics influence present or future actions. For example, a thermostat is said to be a feedback system in which the state of the thermostat (e.g., “on” configuration or “off” configuration) depends on the temperature to which the thermostat is fed back. A feedback system is, for example, a proportional-integral-derivative ( This may include control schemes such as PID controllers. More specifically, the output of some feedback systems can be mathematically described by the sum of proportional, integral, and differential terms. PID controllers are often implemented within one or more electronic devices. In such controllers, the proportional, integral, and / or differential terms can be actively "tuned" to change the characteristics of the feedback system.

[0035]

[1087] Electronic devices often implement feedback systems to actively control the kinematics of a mechanical system in order to achieve and / or maintain a desired system state. For example, a feedback system may be implemented to control forces within a system (e.g., a spring-mass system and / or analogues) by changing the kinematics and / or position of one or more components relative to any other components included in the system. More specifically, a feedback system can determine the current and / or past states (e.g., position, velocity, acceleration, force, torque, tension, power, etc.) of one or more components included in a mechanical system and return the past and / or current state values ​​to, for example, a PID control scheme. In some examples, an electronic device may implement any suitable numerical method or any combination thereof (e.g., Newton's method, Gaussian elimination, Euler's method, LU decomposition, etc.). Thus, based on the past and / or current states of one or more components, the mechanical system can be actively modified to achieve a desired system state.

[0036]

[1088] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a partial weight-bearing support system 1000 according to one embodiment. The partial weight-bearing support system 1000 (also referred to herein as the “support system”) includes at least a trolley 1100, a patient connection mechanism 1800 (also referred to herein as the “connection mechanism”), a power supply 1610, a powered conductor or rail 1620, and a control 1900. The support system 1000 may be used in intensive walking therapy to support a patient with walking impairment caused by nerve damage such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or similar. In such an example, the support system 1000 may be used to support at least a portion of the patient’s weight to facilitate walking therapy. In other examples, the support system 1000 may be used to simulate low-gravity scenarios or similar for astronaut training, for example. In some embodiments, the support system 1000 may be used to support a patient on a treadmill or stairs instead of, or in addition to, supporting the patient straddling it on level ground.

[0037]

[1089] The trolley 1100 contained within the support system 1000 can be of any suitable shape, size, or configuration and may include one or more systems, mechanisms, assemblies, or subassemblies (not shown in Figure 1) that can perform any suitable function related to supporting at least a portion of the patient's weight. The trolley 1100 may include at least a drive system 1300, a patient support mechanism 1500, and an electronic system 1700. In some embodiments, the drive system 1300 may be movably coupled to a support track (not shown in Figure 1) and configured to move along the length of the support track (e.g., by sliding, rolling, or otherwise moving forward). The support track can be of any suitable shape, size, or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the support track may be substantially straight or curved. In other embodiments, the support track may be a closed loop, such as a circle, oval, ellipse, rectangle (e.g., with or without rounded corners), or any other suitable shape. In some embodiments, the support track may be a beam (e.g., an I-beam or similar) included within a roof or ceiling structure from which at least a portion of the trolley 1100 can "hang" (e.g., at least a portion of the trolley 1100 may extend away from the beam). In other embodiments, at least one end of the support track may be coupled to a vertical wall or similar. In yet another embodiment, the support track may be included within a freestanding structure such as a gantry or A-frame.

[0038]

[1090] The drive system 1300 of the trolley 1100 may include one or more wheels configured to roll along the surface of the support track so that the weight of the trolley 1100 and a portion of the weight of the patient utilizing the support system 1000 (for example, the patient is temporarily coupled to the trolley 1100 via a patient connection mechanism 1800, as will be described in more detail herein) are supported by the support track. Similarly, one or more wheels of the drive system 1300 may be adjacent to and positioned on the horizontal surface of the support track, so that the trolley 1100 can "hang" or be suspended from the support track. In other embodiments, the surface from which the trolley 1100 hangs does not need to be horizontal. For example, at least a portion of the support track may have a downward slope (and / or upward slope), where a first end of the support track is positioned at a first height and a second end of the support track is positioned at a second height different from the first height. In such embodiments, the trolley 1100 can be suspended from the surface of a support track parallel to the longitudinal centerline (not shown) of the trolley 1100. In such embodiments, the trolley can be used to support a patient moving across an uphill / downhill surface, going up and down stairs, etc.

[0039]

[1091] In some embodiments, the trolley 1100 has or is defined to have a relatively small profile (e.g., height) so that the space between the surface of the trolley 1100 and part of the patient can be large enough to allow the patient to move between sitting and standing positions, for example, when the patient stands up from a wheelchair. Furthermore, with the trolley 1100 suspended from the support track, the weight of the trolley 1100 and the weight of the patient utilizing the support system can increase the friction (e.g., traction) between one or more wheels of the drive system 1300 and the surface of the support track from which the trolley 1100 suspends. Thus, one or more wheels of the drive system 1300 can roll along the surface of the support track without substantially slipping.

[0040]

[1092] In some embodiments, the trolley 1100 can be motorized. For example, in some embodiments, the trolley 1100 may include one or more motors configured to power the drive system 1300 (e.g., drive, rotate, turn, engage, activate, etc.). In some embodiments, one or more motors may be configured to rotate the wheels of the drive system 1300 at any appropriate speed and / or in any appropriate direction (e.g., forward or reverse) so that the trolley 1100 can keep pace with a patient using the support system 1000. In some embodiments, the electronic system 1700 and / or control 1900 may be operably coupled (e.g., electrically connected) to one or more motors so that the electronic system 1700 and / or control 1900 can send electrical signals related to the operation of one or more motors. In some embodiments, the motor(s) may include a clutch, brake, or similar configured to substantially lock the motor(s) in response to a power outage or similar event. Similarly, the motor(s) may be arranged in a locked configuration to restrict the movement of the trolley 1100 (e.g., the movement of the drive system 1300 and / or the patient support mechanism 1500) in response to a power outage (e.g., a partial power outage and / or a complete power outage).

[0041]

[1093] The patient support mechanism 1500 (also referred to herein as the “support mechanism”) can have any suitable configuration and can be at least temporarily coupled to the connection mechanism 1800. For example, in some embodiments, the support mechanism 1500 may include a tether that can be temporarily coupled to the coupling portion of the connection mechanism 1800. Furthermore, the connection mechanism 1800 may further include a patient coupling portion (not shown in Figure 1) configured to receive a portion of a harness or similar that the patient wears or is coupled to the patient. Thus, the connection mechanism 1800 and the support mechanism 1500 support a portion of the patient’s weight and temporarily couple the patient to the trolley 1100. It is possible.

[0042]

[1094] In some embodiments, the end of the tether can be coupled to, for example, a winch. In such embodiments, the winch may include a motor capable of rotating a drum to wind or unwind the tether. Similarly, the tether may be wound around a drum, and the motor may rotate the drum in a first direction to wind more tether around the drum, and rotate the drum in a second direction opposite to the first direction to unwind more tether from around the drum. In some embodiments, the support mechanism 1500 may include one or more pulleys from which the tether can be engaged so that the support mechanism 1500 gains a mechanical advantage. Similarly, the pulleys may be positioned such that the force required by the winch to wind or unwind the tether around the drum is reduced while the patient is coupled to the connecting mechanism 1800.

[0043]

[1095] A horizontal drive system / motor configured to allow the trolley to move along the track and a vertical drive system configured to move to control the tether may be controlled and operated simultaneously, or not. For example, when a patient is walking on a treadmill, there is little or no horizontal movement, but the vertical (weight-bearing) drive system is operating to compensate for changes in walking, falls, etc.

[0044]

[1096] In some embodiments, the pulley system may include at least one pulley configured to move (e.g., pivot, translate, swing, or similar). For example, the pulley may be contained within or coupled to a cam mechanism (not shown) configured to define a range of motion for the pulley. In such embodiments, the movement of at least one pulley may coincide with and / or be caused by a force acting on the connecting mechanism 1800. For example, in some examples, the patient may move relative to the trolley 1100 such that the force acting on the tether is changed (e.g., increased or decreased) by the patient's weight. In such examples, the pulley may move in accordance with the change in force such that the tension in the tether is substantially unchanged. Furthermore, with respect to a pulley contained within or coupled to a cam mechanism, the movement of the pulley may move the cam over a predetermined range of motion. In some embodiments, the electronic system 1700 may include a sensor or encoder operably coupled to the pulley and / or cam, configured to determine the amount of movement of the pulley and / or cam. In this configuration, the electronic system 1700 can send signals to a motor contained within the winch related to winding or unwinding the tether around the drum in accordance with the movement of the pulley. For example, the pulley may be moved in a first direction in response to an increase in the force acting on the tether, and the electronic system 1700 can send signals to the winch motor related to the rotation of the drum to unwind a portion of the tether from the drum. Conversely, the pulley may be moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction in response to a decrease in the force acting on the tether, and the electronic system 1700 can send signals to the winch motor related to the rotation of the drum to wind a portion of the tether around the drum. Thus, the support mechanism 1500 may be configured to exert a reaction force in response to a force exerted by the patient such that the portion of the patient's weight supported by the support system 1000 remains substantially unchanged. Furthermore, by actively supporting a portion of the patient's weight, the support system 1000 can limit the likelihood and / or severity of a fall of the patient supported by the support system 1000.Similarly, the support mechanism 1500 and the electronic system 1700 can respond to changes in the force acting on the tether within a relatively short time (e.g., much shorter than 1 second) in order to actively limit the severity of a patient's fall.

[0045]

[1097] As explained above, the electronic system 1700 contained within the trolley 1100 can control at least a portion of the trolley 1100. The electronic system 1700 controls at least a portion of the trolley 1100. The system includes a processor and memory. The memory may be, for example, random-access memory (RAM), a memory buffer, a hard drive, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and / or similar. In some embodiments, the memory stores instructions that cause the processor to execute modules, processes, and / or functions related to the control of one or more mechanical and / or electrical systems contained within the patient support system 1000, as described above. In some embodiments, the control signals are delivered over powered rails, for example, using a broadband over power-line (BOP) configuration.

[0046]

[1098] The processor of an electronic device can be any suitable processing device configured to run or execute a set of instructions or code. For example, the processor can be a general-purpose processor (GPU), a central processing unit (CPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), and / or similar. The processor may be configured to run or execute a set of instructions or code stored in memory relating to the control of one or more mechanical and / or electrical systems contained within the patient support system 1000. For example, the processor can run or execute a set of instructions or code relating to the control of one or more motors, sensors, communication devices, encoders, or similar, as described above. More specifically, the processor can execute a set of instructions in response to the reception of signals from one or more sensors and / or encoders relating to part of the drive system 1300 and / or support mechanism 1500. Similarly, the processor may be configured to execute a set of instructions related to a feedback loop (e.g., based on a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control method), where the electronic system 1700 can control subsequent actions of the drive system 1300 and / or support system 1500 at least in part on current and / or previous data received from the drive system 1300 and / or support system 1500 (e.g., position, velocity, force, acceleration, tether angle, or similar).

[0047]

[1099] In some embodiments, the electronic system 1700 may include a communication device (not shown in Figure 1) capable of communicating with the control 1900. For example, in some embodiments, the communication device may include one or more network interface devices (e.g., a network interface card). The communication device may be configured to transmit data via a wired network and / or wireless network (not shown in Figure 1) relating to sending data to and / or receiving data from the control 1900. The control 1900 may be any suitable device or module (e.g., a hardware module or a software module stored in memory and executed within a process). For example, in some embodiments, the control 1900 may be an electronic device comprising at least a processor and memory (not shown in Figure 1) and configured to run, for example, a personal computer application, a mobile application, a web page, and / or the like. In this form, a user may engage with the control 1900 to establish a set of system parameters relating to the support system 1000, as will be described in further detail herein. In some embodiments, the control 1900 may be implemented as a handheld controller.

[0048]

[1100] In some embodiments, control of the trolley 1100 can be achieved using one or more controllers. In embodiments where multiple controllers are used (e.g., personal computer control and handheld control), only one controller can be used at a time. In other embodiments, one of the controllers (e.g., handheld) can be used. A held controller can override a personal computer controller. In other embodiments, a user can specify which controller is used by activating the relevant controller. In other words, a user can take control using a controller, or transfer control to another controller by activating a controller.

[0049]

[1101] In some embodiments, the patient support system 1000 is configured to improve gait and stability rehabilitation training by adding visual and auditory feedback to a gait and stability support device. The trolley 1100 adjusts the feedback using heuristic patient data from past training sessions and stores the data for each treatment / training session.

[0050]

[1102] As shown in Figure 1, the trolley 1100 is operably coupled to the power rail 1620. The power rail 1620 is further coupled to a power supply 1610 configured to supply a current flow (e.g., power) to the power rail 1620. More specifically, the power rail 1620 may include any suitable transformers, converters, conditioners, capacitors, resistors, insulators, and / or similar (not shown in Figure 1) so that the power rail 1620 can receive a current flow from the power supply 1610 and transfer at least a portion of the current flow to the trolley 1100. The power rail 1620 may include one or more electrical conductors to deliver, for example, single-phase or multi-phase power to one or more trolleys 1100. For example, in some embodiments, the power rail 1620 is a substantially tubular rail configured to receive the conductive portion of the electronic system 1600 of the trolley 1100. In some embodiments, the power rail 1620 may include one or more conductive surfaces located within the inner portion of a tubular rail along which conductive members of the electronic system 1700 can move (e.g., slide, roll, or otherwise advance). In other embodiments, the power rail 1620 may have or be substantially open (e.g., substantially not tubular). In such embodiments, the power rail 1620 may include one or more conductive members located on any suitable surface or combination of surfaces of the power rail 1620.

[0051]

[1103] The power rail 1620 is configured to transmit the flow of current from the power supply 1610 to the electronic system 1700 of the trolley 1100, as will be described in more detail herein. The power rail 1620 can be any suitable shape, size, or configuration. For example, the power rail 1620 may extend in a shape similar to a support track (not shown in Figure 1), and the power rail 1620 may be positioned substantially parallel to the support track. In this configuration, the trolley 1100 can advance along the length of the support track while remaining in electrical contact with the power rail 1620. Furthermore, the arrangement of the power rail 1620 and the trolley 1100 is such that the movement of the trolley 1100 along the length of the support track is not hindered or restricted by a bundle of cables, as described above with reference to known support systems. In other embodiments, the power rail 1620 and / or a portion thereof may be coupled to and positioned along the support track or a portion thereof, and / or otherwise at least partially integrated with it. In yet another embodiment, the power rail 1620 may have an extendable configuration that extends, for example, from a central power source to the trolley 1100, and / or may have such a configuration.

[0052]

[1104] Although described above as being coupled to the power rail 1620, in some embodiments the trolley 1100 can be battery-powered. In such embodiments, the trolley 1100 may include one or more batteries or battery systems suitable for supplying a current flow to the trolley 1100. In such embodiments, one or Multiple batteries may be configured to supply power in addition to and / or instead of the power received from the power rail 1620. In some embodiments, one or more batteries included in such embodiments may be rechargeable. For example, at least a portion of the power or current flow received from the power rail 1620 may be delivered to one or more batteries (e.g., to charge or recharge the batteries). In some embodiments, the power rail 1620 and / or support track may include one or more charging stations located on or along the support track. In such embodiments, the trolley 1100 may be able to automatically dock to one or more charging stations according to, for example, a predetermined or desired algorithm, schedule, and / or conditions. For example, the trolley may move to and dock with such charging stations when the power level of one or more batteries is below a predetermined and / or desired level or during a downtime (e.g., when the system is not in use for a given time, at night, or at a predetermined time).

[0053]

[1105] While the trolley 1100 has been described above as receiving power from one or more of the power rail 1620, batteries, or battery systems, in some embodiments the support system 1000 may include an uninterruptible power supply (or any other suitable energy capacitor or energy storage device) capable of supplying power to at least a portion of the support system 1000. For example, in some embodiments, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) may be included to provide backup for one or more batteries contained within the power supply 1610 and / or trolley 1100. That is, the UPS may be electrically connected between the power supply 1610 and the power rail 1620 or between the power supply 1610 and the trolley 1100. In other embodiments, the UPS may be configured to supply power to the power supply 1610 in response to, for example, a grid failure and / or interruption. That is, the UPS may be electrically connected between the grid and the power supply 1610. In further embodiments, the trolley 1100 may include a UPS that can supply power to the trolley 1100 if the power flow from the power rail 1620 or one or more batteries is interrupted or otherwise stopped. In some embodiments, the support system 1000 may include a UPS configured to supply primary or backup power to the trolley 1100 and one or more additional devices contained within the support system 1000 (e.g., auxiliary training devices such as treadmills, one or more computing devices such as personal computers, servers, etc., and / or any other suitable devices).

[0054]

[1106] In some embodiments, power and / or electrical energy can be transferred from the power rail 1620 (or one or more parts of the power rail 1620) to the trolley 1100 via any suitable transfer mode. For example, in some embodiments, a conductive member of the trolley 1100 (e.g., a collector or similar) may be in physical and / or electrical contact with a conductor or conductive part of the power rail 1620. In other embodiments, the trolley 1100 may include one or more induction coils along which a current flow is induced in response to at least a part of the power rail 1620 and / or a conductive part or conductive surface of the track 1050. In such embodiments, the power received via induction may be used to power the trolley 1100 and / or to charge one or more batteries of the trolley 1100, for example.

[0055]

[1107] Furthermore, the control 1900 may also be operably coupled to the power supply 1610 and may be configured to control the amount of power delivered to the power rail 1620 and / or trolley 1100. For example, the control 1900 may initiate the flow of current from the power supply 1610 to the power rail 1620 to switch on or power up the support system 1000. It may be configured to do so. Conversely, the control 1900 may be configured to stop the flow of current from the power supply 1610 to the power rail 1620 in order to switch off or power down the support system 1000.

[0056]

[1108] Although the control 1900 is shown in Figure 1 as independent of the trolley 1100 and operably coupled to it, in some embodiments the control 1900 may be included within the electronic system 1700 of the trolley 1100. For example, in some embodiments the control 1900 may be a hardware module and / or a software module that can be executed by the processor of the electronic system 1700. In such embodiments the electronic system 1700 may include a user interface (e.g., a touch screen and / or one or more dials, buttons, switches, toggles, or similar). Thus, a user (e.g., a physiotherapist, physician, nurse, technician, etc.) can engage with the user interface associated with the control 1900 to establish a set of system parameters for the support system 1000.

[0057]

[1109] Although not shown in Figure 1, in some embodiments, multiple trolleys 1100 may be coupled to the same support track. In such embodiments, the trolleys 1100 hanging from the support track may include sensors (e.g., ultrasonic proximity sensors and / or similar) that can send signals to an electronic system 1700 related to the relative proximity of one or more trolleys 1100 to a particular trolley 1100. In this form, the electronic system 1700 of the trolleys 1100 may, for example, control motors included in the drive system 1300 to prevent collisions of the trolleys 1100. Thus, the support system 1000 can be used to support multiple patients (e.g., multiple patients corresponding to multiple trolleys 1100 arranged around a support track) while keeping the patients at a desired distance from one another.

[0058]

[1110] In some embodiments, the support system is configured to provide feedback to the patient during use. In some embodiments, a laser or culminated light source is coupled to the trolley 1100 to create a light path for the patient to follow during the session. The light path allows the patient to look ahead or to their feet while attempting to train their brain to correctly control leg / foot / buttock movements. In some embodiments, a second light source is configured to illuminate a “target” position from which the patient can aim to place their foot in the correct position. In some embodiments, the size of the target may be changed depending on the user’s dexterity. In other words, the target can be made smaller for users with better muscle control. The light path and target position may be modified using a user interface, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0059]

[1111] In some embodiments, audible feedback is provided to the patient when their gait is incorrect. In some embodiments, audible feedback may be provided when the patient begins to fall. Different audible tones may be provided for different problems / purposes.

[0060]

[1112] In some embodiments, a CCD camera interface may be configured for video monitoring for future analysis, and the sensed rope position, speed, tension, etc., may be correlated. In some embodiments, a monitor may be coupled to the patient's body to monitor muscle use (e.g., leg muscles, chest muscles, etc.). Such information is transmitted wirelessly to the electronic system 1700 and incorporated into feedback provided to the patient during and after the treatment / rehabilitation session. In other words, all data collected by various sensors, cameras, etc., may be incorporated to provide dynamic real-time feedback and / or post-session feedback.

[0061]

[1113] Figures 2 to 33 show a partial weight-bearing support system 2000 according to one embodiment. The partial weight-bearing support system 2000 (also referred to herein as the “support system”) may be used to support a portion of a patient’s weight, for example, during walking therapy. Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views of the support system 2000. The support system 2000 includes a trolley 2100, a power system 2600, and a patient connection mechanism 2800 (see, for example, Figure 34). As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the trolley 2100 is movably coupled to a support track 2050 configured to support the weight of the trolley 2100 and the weight of a patient using the support system 2000. The support track 2050 is shown as having an I-shape, but the support track 2050 can have any suitable shape. Furthermore, the support track 2050 is shown as substantially straight, but the support track 2050 can extend in a curved direction. In other embodiments, the support track 2050 may be arranged in a closed loop, such as a circle, oval, ellipse, square, or similar shape. As will be described in more detail herein, the power system 2600 may include a power rail 2620 that extends substantially parallel to the support track 2050 and is at least electrically coupled to the trolley 2100 to transfer the flow of current from a power source (not shown in Figures 2 to 32) to the trolley 2100.

[0062]

[1114] Figures 4–7 are perspective views of the trolley 2100. The trolley 2100 can have any suitable shape, size, or configuration. For example, the trolley 2100 may be suspended from a support track 2050 (as described in further detail herein) and may have or be defined a relatively small profile (e.g., height) to maximize the space between the trolley 2100 and the patient. In this form, the support system 2000 can be used to support a patient with varying heights and at the same time to support a patient rising from a seated to a standing position, as is common when assisting a patient who has been at least partially confined to a wheelchair. The trolley 2100 includes a housing 2200 (see, e.g., Figures 8 and 9), an electronic system 2700 (see, e.g., Figures 10 and 11), a drive system 2300 (see, e.g., Figures 12–26), and a patient support mechanism 2500 (see, e.g., Figures 27–33).

[0063]

[1115] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the housing 2200 includes a base 2210, a first side member 2230, a second side member 2240, a third side member 2250, and a cover 2260. The housing 220 is configured to enclose and / or cover at least a portion of the electronic system 2700, as will be described in further detail herein. As shown in Figure 9, the base 2210 has a first side surface 2211 and a second side surface 2212. The base 2210 defines a set of drive mechanism openings 2213, a fan opening 2214, a guide mechanism opening 2215, a bias mechanism opening 2217, a guide member opening 2218, and a cam pulley opening 2219, a cam pivot opening 2220. As will be described in more detail herein, the drive mechanism opening 2213 receives at least a portion of the first drive assembly 2310 contained within the drive system 2300 so that a set of wheels contained within the drive system 2300 can rotate without contacting the base 2210. The fan opening 2214 receives a portion of the fan 2740 contained within the electronic system 2700. More specifically, a portion of the fan 2740 may extend through the opening so that the fan can move heat generated by the electronic system 2700 out of the housing 2200. The guide mechanism opening 2215 receives a portion of the guide mechanism 2540 contained within the patient support mechanism 2500 (also referred to herein as the “support mechanism”). More specifically, the base 2210 includes a set of mounting tabs 2216 configured to extend from the surface of the base 2210 defining the guide mechanism opening 2215. In this form, the guide mechanism 2540 may be coupled to the mounting tabs 2216. The bias mechanism opening 2217, the guide member opening 2218, the cam pulley opening 2219, and the cam pivot opening 2220 each movably receive a portion of the cam mechanism 2570 contained within the support mechanism 2500, as will be described in more detail herein. It is possible.

[0064]

[1116] The first side member 2230 has a first side surface 2231 and a second side surface 2232. The second side surface 2232 defines a slot 2233 therein to receive a portion of the base 2210 for coupling the base 2210. The first side member 2230 also includes a mounting portion 2235 which is coupled to a portion of the collector 2770 contained within the electronic system 2700, as will be described in more detail herein. The second side member 2240 has a first side surface 2241 and a second side surface 2242. The second side surface 2242 defines a slot 2243 therein to receive a portion of the base 2210 for coupling the base 2210. The second side surface 2242 also includes a recessed portion 2244 which is coupled to a portion of the winch assembly 2510 contained within the support mechanism 2500. The third side member 2250 is coupled to the first side member 2230, the second side member 2240, and the base 2210, and defines a light opening 2251 for receiving an indicator light and a power output opening for receiving a power output module.

[0065]

[1117] The cover 2260 is positioned adjacent to the second side surface 2212 of the base 2210. More specifically, the cover 2260 may be movably coupled to the second side surface 2212 of the base 2210, allowing access to a portion of the electronic system 2700 enclosed therewith. The cover 2260 has a first end 2261 and a second end 2262. The first end 2261 is an opening and defines a notch 2265 configured to receive a portion of the collector 2770, as will be described in more detail herein. The second end 2262 of the cover 2260 is substantially enclosed and configured to include a recessed region 2264. In this form, a portion of the support mechanism 2500 may extend into and / or through the recessed region 2264 to couple with the patient connection mechanism 2800, as will be described in more detail herein. The cover 2260 also specifies a set of vents 2263 which may be arranged to provide airflow to the area enclosed by the cover 2260 so that at least a portion of the electronic system 2700 located therein can be cooled.

[0066]

[1118] Figures 10 and 11 show the electronic system 2700 of the trolley 2100. The electronic system 2700 includes a set of electronic devices that are collectively operated to control at least a portion of the trolley 2100. As described above, the electronic system 2700 includes a collector 2770 coupled to a portion of the housing 2200 and positioned in physical and / or electrical contact with the power rail 2620. The collector 2770 can be any suitable shape, size, or configuration and may be formed from any suitable conductive material, such as iron, steel, or the like. In this form, the collector 2770 can receive the flow of current from the power rail 2620. For example, as shown in Figure 10, the power rail 2620 is a substantially hollow tube housing or substantially enclosing one or more conductive parts 2621 (e.g., individual conductors or surfaces) electrically coupled to a power source (not shown). In this configuration, the collector 2770 may be positioned within the hollow tube of the power rail 2620 such that the conductive portion 2771 of the collector 2770 (e.g., individual conductors, conductive surfaces, or similar) is positioned to communicate with one or more conductive portions 2621 of the power rail 2620. Thus, the collector 2770 receives the flow of current from the power source, which is transferred by the power rail 2620. Furthermore, the collector 2770 may be positioned within the power rail 2620 such that the coupling portion 2772 of the collector 2770 extends through a slot 2622 defined by the power rail 2620 for coupling to a mounting portion 2235 of the housing 2200. The coupling portion 2772 may be further coupled to a power module (not shown) of the trolley 2100. Thus, the trolley 2100 receives power from the power source via the power rail 2620.

[0067]

[1119] Although the power rail 2620 is illustrated and described as being a substantially hollow tube, in other embodiments the power rail can be any suitable configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the power rail can be one or more conductive portions on any suitable surface, such as a relatively flat or open surface of the power rail. In some embodiments, the power rail can be one or more conductive portions of, for example, the support track 2050 (e.g., one or more inner surfaces and / or one or more outer surfaces). As will be described in more detail herein, a conductive portion of the trolley 2100 (e.g., the collector 2770) may be in electrical contact with any other suitable conductive surface that supplies a current of power to the power rail 2620 and / or one or more portions of the trolley 2100.

[0068]

[1120] Although not shown in Figures 10 and 11, the electronic system 2700 includes at least a processor, memory, and communication devices. The memory may be, for example, random-access memory (RAM), memory buffers, hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and / or similar. In some embodiments, the memory stores instructions that cause the processor to execute modules, processes, and / or functions related to the control of one or more mechanical and / or electrical systems contained within the patient support system 2000. For example, the memory may store instructions, information, and / or data related to a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control system. In some embodiments, the PID control system may be contained, for example, within a software package. In some embodiments, the PID control may be a set of user-controlled instructions executed by the processor that allow the user to "tune" the PID control, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0069]

[1121] The processor of an electronic device can be any suitable processing device configured to run or execute a set of instructions or code. For example, the processor can be a general-purpose processor (GPU), a central processing unit (CPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), and / or similar. The processor may be configured to run or execute a set of instructions or code stored in memory relating to the control of one or more mechanical and / or electrical systems included in the patient support system. For example, the processor can run or execute a set of instructions or code stored in memory relating to PID control and further relating to the control of a part of the drive system 2300 and / or the patient support mechanism 2500. More specifically, the processor can execute a set of instructions that can control one or more subsequent actions of the drive system 2300 and / or the support mechanism 2500 in response to the reception of signals from one or more sensors and / or encoders (illustrated and described below). Similarly, the processor may execute a set of instructions relating to a feedback loop, which includes one or more sensors or encoders that send signals at least partially related to current and / or previous data (e.g., position, velocity, force, acceleration, or similar) received from the drive system 2300 and / or support mechanism 2500, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0070]

[1122] The communication device may be, for example, one or more network interface devices (e.g., network cards) configured to communicate with electronic devices via a wired or wireless network. For example, in some embodiments, a user may operate a remote control device that sends one or more signals related to the operation of the trolley 2100 to and / or receives from the electronic system 2700. The remote control may be any suitable device or module (e.g., a hardware module or a software module stored in memory and executed in a process). For example, in some embodiments, the remote control includes at least a processor and memory, and can be used for, for example, personal computer applications, mobile applications, or web applications. This can be an electronic device for moving pages and / or similar objects. In this form, the user can engage in remote control to establish a set of system parameters related to the support system 2000, such as a desired amount of weight to be supported by the support system 2000.

[0071]

[1123] As shown in Figure 12, the drive system 2300 includes a first drive assembly 2310 and a second drive assembly 2400. The drive system 2300 is coupled to a first side surface 2211 of the base 2210 (see, for example, Figures 2 and 3), and the first drive assembly 2310 and the second drive assembly 2400 are arranged to be aligned (for example, coaxially). In this configuration, the first drive assembly 2310 and the second drive assembly 2400 can receive a portion of the support track 2050, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0072]

[1124] Figures 13 to 23 show the first drive assembly 2310. The first drive assembly 2310 includes a motor 2311, a support structure 2315, a set of guide wheel assemblies 2360, a set of drive wheel assemblies 2370, and a set of auxiliary wheel assemblies 2390. The motor 2311 is coupled to a side member 2320 of the support structure 2315 and communicates with a part of the electronic system 2700. The motor 2311 includes an output shaft 2312 (see, for example, Figures 15 and 16) that engages with a part of one of the drive wheel assemblies 2370 to rotate a drive wheel 2385 contained therein. More specifically, the motor 2311 receives an activation signal (e.g., a current flow) from the electronic system 2700 to rotate the output shaft 2312, which in turn rotates the drive wheel 2385. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, at least a portion of the first drive assembly 2310 is substantially symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal plane (not shown) defined by the first drive assembly 2310. In this form, each side of the first drive assembly 2310 contains similar components, thereby increasing versatility and reducing manufacturing costs. For example, the first drive assembly 2310 includes two side members 2320, and the motor 2311 is shown coupled to a particular side member 2320, but in other embodiments, the motor 2311 may be coupled to another side member 2320.

[0073]

[1125] The support structure 2315 includes two side members 2320, a base 2340, two front end support members 2350, two rear end support members 2354, and two transverse support members 2358. As shown in Figures 13 to 16, the side members 2320 are identical (for example, due to the symmetry of the first drive assembly 2310). Each side member 2320 defines a set of bearing openings 2321, notches 2322, and slots 2325. The bearing opening 2321 of each side member 2320 receives a drive bearing 2376 (Figure 20) contained within the drive wheel assembly 2370. More specifically, the drive bearing 2376 may be positioned within the bearing opening 2321 such that the outer surface of the drive bearing 2376 forms a friction fit with the surface of the side member 2320 defining the bearing opening 2321. Similarly, the surface of the side 2320 defining the drive bearing 2376 and the bearing opening 2321 forms a press fit to hold the drive bearing 2376 within the bearing opening 2321.

[0074]

[1126] The notches 2322 defined by each of the side members 2320 receive spring bars 2323 and springs 2324. The springs 2324 are positioned around the spring bar 2323 such that the spring bar 2323 substantially restricts the movement of the springs 2324. More specifically, the spring bar 2323 is configured to allow the springs 2324 to move axially (e.g., compress and / or extend) while substantially restricting the movement of the springs 2324 laterally. As will be described in more detail herein, the spring bars 2323 and springs 2324 extend from the surface of the notches 2322 to engage with the spring projections 2344 of the base 2340. The set of slots 2325 are, as will be described in more detail herein, each slot 2325 However, the side member 2320 is configured to receive mounting hardware (e.g., mechanical fasteners, pins, dwells, etc.) that is configured to movably connect to the base 2340.

[0075]

[1127] As described above, the base 2340 is movably coupled to the side member 2320. The base 2340 includes a set of side walls 2342 and an axle portion 2346. The axle portion 2346 of the base 2340 defines an opening 2347 for receiving a transmission axle 2388 contained within the drive wheel assembly 2370. More specifically, the transmission axle 2388 can rotate within the opening 2347 of the axle portion 2346 so that rotational motion can be transmitted from one of the drive assemblies 2370 to the other, as will be described in further detail herein.

[0076]

[1128] Each side wall 2342 defines a notch 2343 and includes a spring projection 2344. More specifically, each spring projection 2344 extends substantially perpendicularly from the side wall 2342. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, when the side member 2320 is coupled to the base 2340, each notch 2322 of the side member 2320 receives one of the spring projections 2344 of the base 2340. Similarly, when the side member 2320 is coupled to the base 2340, each notch 2343 defined by the base 2340 receives a portion of one of the springs 2324. In this configuration, the spring bars 2323 and springs 2324 of each side member 2320 are aligned with spring projections 2344 extending from the side wall 2342 of the base 2340, such that the springs 2324 are positioned in contact with the surface of the corresponding spring projections 2344. With the side members 2320 movably coupled to the base 2340 (for example, by positioning mounting hardware in the slot 2325), the springs 2324 of each side member 2320 can dampen the movement of the side member 2320 relative to the base 2340. Similarly, the springs 2324 of each side member 2320 can engage with the surface of the corresponding spring projection 2344 to exert a reaction force (for example, brought about by spring compression) in response to an external force applied to one or both of the side members 2320 (e.g., operational vibration, torque acted by a motor, or similar).

[0077]

[1129] Figures 17 to 19 show one of each of the front support members 2350, the rear support member 2354, and the lateral support member 2358, respectively. As described above, the symmetry of the first drive assembly 2310 is such that two front support members 2350 are identical, two rear support members 2354 are identical, and two lateral support members 2358 are identical. Each front support member 2350 is fixedly coupled to one of the side members 2320. As shown in Figure 17, each front support member 2350 defines a lever arm notch 2355 for receiving the lever arm 2391 of the auxiliary wheel assembly 2390, a spring recess 2352 for receiving the spring 2394 of the auxiliary wheel assembly 2390, and a support track notch 2353 for receiving the horizontal portion 2051 of, for example, the support track 2050 (see, for example, Figure 23).

[0078]

[1130] Each rear support member 2354 is fixedly coupled to one of the side members 2320 and positioned aft relative to the front support member 2354. More specifically, the rear support members 2354 are spaced a distance long enough from the front support members 2354 to allow a portion of the drive wheel assembly 2370 to be positioned between them. As shown in Figure 18, each rear support member 2354 defines a belt notch 2355 configured to receive the drive belt 2389 of the drive wheel assembly 2370 and a support track notch 2353 configured to receive the horizontal portion 2051 of the support track 2050 (as described, for example, with respect to the front support member 2350).

[0079]

[1131] Each lateral support member 2358 is fixedly coupled to one of the front support members 2350 and one of the rear support members 2354. Thus, together with the front support members 2350 and rear support members 2354 coupled to their respective side members 2320, the lateral support members 2358 substantially enclose a space configured to accommodate or receive the drive wheel assembly 2370. Furthermore, the arrangement of the support structure 2315 ensures that the space defined between adjacent surfaces of the lateral support members 2358 is large enough to accommodate, for example, the vertical portion 2052 of the support track 2050.

[0080]

[1132] As shown in Figure 19, the transverse support member 2358 defines a bearing opening 2359 that receives the support bearing 2377 of the drive wheel assembly 2370. More specifically, the support bearing 2377 is positioned within the bearing opening 2359 such that the outer surface of the support bearing 2377 forms a friction fit with the surface of the transverse support member 2358 that defines the bearing opening 2359. Similarly, the outer surface of the support bearing 2377 and the surface of the transverse support member 2358 form a press fit to hold the support bearing 2377 within the bearing opening 2359.

[0081]

[1133] Returning to Figures 13-15, the first drive assembly 2310 includes four guide wheel assemblies 2360. Each guide wheel assembly 2360 includes a mounting bracket 2361 and a guide wheel 2363. More specifically, each guide wheel 2363 is rotatably coupled to one of the mounting brackets 2361 so that the guide wheel 2363 can rotate relative to the mounting brackets 2361.

[0082]

[1134] Each guide wheel assembly 2360 is configured to be coupled to a portion of the support structure 2315. More specifically, as shown in Figures 13 to 16, the mounting bracket 2361 of each guide wheel assembly 2360 is coupled to one of the front support members 2350 or one of the rear support members 2354. Similarly, both front support members 2350 are coupled to a mounting bracket 2361 included in one of the guide wheel assemblies 2360, and both rear support members 2354 are coupled to a mounting bracket 2361 included in one of the guide wheel assemblies 2360. The guide wheel assembly 2360 is coupled to the support structure 2315 such that a portion of the guide wheel 2363 extends into the space defined between the transverse members 2358. In this form, the guide wheel 2363 can roll along the surface of the vertical portion 2052 of the support track 2050 when the first drive assembly 2310 is coupled to the support track 2050 (see, for example, Figure 23).

[0083]

[1135] As shown in Figures 13 to 15, the guide wheel assembly 2360 may be positioned relative to the support structure 2315 such that the guide wheel 2363 contained within the guide wheel assembly 2360 coupled to the front support member 2350 is positioned substantially below the mounting bracket 2361. Conversely, the guide wheel 2363 contained within the guide wheel assembly 2360 coupled to the rear support member 2350 is positioned substantially above the mounting bracket 2361. This arrangement can increase the surface area of ​​the vertical portion 2051 of the support track 2050 that contacts at least one guide wheel 2360. In this way, rotational motion around the longitudinal centerline (not shown) of the support track 2050 can be minimized or eliminated. Although illustrated as a specific arrangement, in other embodiments the guide wheel 2363 may be positioned in any suitable manner. For example, in some embodiments, all guide wheels 2363 may be mounted below the mounting bracket 2361. In other embodiments, all guide wheels 2363 may be mounted on the mounting bracket 2361. In yet another embodiment, the guide wheels 2363 may be mounted on the mounting bracket 2361 in any combination of configurations (for example, mounted above or below the mounting bracket 2361 in any suitable arrangement).

[0084]

[1136] Figure 20 is an exploded view of the drive wheel assembly 2370. As explained above, The symmetry of the drive assembly 2310 is such that the drive wheel assemblies are identical. Therefore, the discussion of the drive wheel assembly 2370 shown in Figure 20 applies to both drive wheel assemblies 2370. The drive wheel assembly 2370 includes a drive shaft 2371, a drive bearing 2376, a support bearing 2377, a drive sprocket 2379, a transmission sprocket 2381, a drive wheel 2385, a transmission axle 2388 (not shown in Figure 20), and a drive belt 2389. The drive shaft 2371 has a first portion 2372, a second portion 2373, and a third portion 2374, defining an opening 2375. The first portion 2372 has a first diameter at least partially related to the drive sprocket 2378. More specifically, the drive sprocket 2378 defines an opening 2380 having a diameter related to the diameter of the first portion 2372 of the drive shaft 2371. In this configuration, the drive sprocket 2378 is positioned around the first portion 2372 of the drive shaft 2371 such that the surface of the drive sprocket 2378 defining the opening 2380 forms a friction fit with the outer surface of the first portion 2372 of the drive shaft 2371. Similarly, the drive bearing 2376 is positioned around the first portion 2372 such that the inner surface of the bearing forms a friction fit with the outer surface of the second portion 2372 of the drive shaft 2371. Thus, the rotation of the drive shaft 2371 within the drive bearing 2376 causes the drive sprocket 2378 to rotate. Furthermore, with the drive bearing 2376 held using one of the bearing openings 2321 of the side member 2370, the drive shaft 2371 can be rotated relative to the corresponding side member 2370, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0085]

[1137] The second portion 2373 of the drive shaft 2371 has a second diameter smaller than that of the first portion 2372 and is at least partially related to the drive wheel 2385. More specifically, the drive wheel 2385 includes a hub 2386 that defines an opening 2387 having a diameter related to the diameter of the second portion 2373 of the drive shaft 2371. As shown in Figure 20, the opening 2387 of the drive wheel 2385 includes a keyway configured to receive a key extending from the outer surface of the second portion 2373 of the drive shaft 2371. In this form, the drive wheel 2385 is fixedly positioned around the second portion 2373 of the drive shaft 2373.

[0086]

[1138] The third portion 2374 of the drive shaft 2371 has a third diameter smaller than that of the second portion 2372 and is at least partially related to the support bearing 2377. More specifically, the support bearing 2377 is positioned around the third portion 2374 of the drive shaft 2371 such that the outer surface of the third portion 2374 forms a friction fit with the inner surface of the support bearing 2377. Furthermore, the third portion 2374 of the drive shaft 2371 can be at least partially supported with the support bearing 2377 positioned within the bearing opening 2359 of the transverse support member 2358.

[0087]

[1139] The opening 2375 defined by the drive shaft 2371 receives the output shaft 2312 of the motor 2311. More specifically, the drive shaft 2371 can be fixedly coupled, at least temporarily, to the output shaft 2312 of the motor 2311, so that when the output shaft 2312 is rotated (e.g., in response to an activation signal from the electronic system 2700), the drive shaft 2371 rotates simultaneously. With the drive bearing 2376 and support bearing 2377 positioned in the bearing opening 2321 of the side member 2320 and the bearing opening 2359 of the lateral support member 2358, respectively, the drive shaft 2371 can rotate relative to the support structure 2315. Furthermore, the rotation of the drive shaft 2371 rotates both the drive sprocket 2378 and the drive wheel 2385.

[0088]

[1140] The drive sprocket 2378 is configured to engage with the drive belt 2389. More specifically, the drive belt 2389 includes a set of teeth 2379 that engage with a set of teeth (not shown) extending from the inner surface of the belt 2389. The belt 2389 is further coupled to a transmission sprocket 2381. The transmission sprocket 2381 engages with the teeth of the belt 2389. It includes a set of teeth 2382 that engage with it. In this form, the rotation of the drive sprocket 2378 (as described above) rotates the belt 2389, which in turn rotates the transmission sprocket 2381. The transmission sprocket 2381 defines an opening 2383 configured to receive the transmission axle 2388 (see, for example, Figure 16). More specifically, the transmission axle 2388 may be fixedly coupled to the transmission sprocket 2381 of each drive wheel assembly 2370 such that the rotation of the transmission sprocket 2381 of the first drive wheel assembly 2370 (e.g., a drive wheel assembly 2370 coupled to the output shaft 2312 of a motor 2311) rotates the transmission sprocket 2381 of the second drive wheel assembly 2370. Thus, when the motor 2311 is activated to rotate the output shaft 2312, both drive wheels 2385 of both drive wheel assemblies 2370 are prompted to rotate.

[0089]

[1141] In some embodiments, the side members 2320 and base 2340 of the support structure 2315 may be arranged such that the springs 2324 of the side members 2320 are in a preload configuration (e.g., partially compressed without additional external force being applied to one or both of the side members 2320). More specifically, each spring 2324 can exert a force on the surface of the corresponding spring projection 2344 of the base 2340 (e.g., due to the preload) to position the corresponding side member 2320 in a desired position relative to the base 2340. Furthermore, with the drive bearing 2376 fixedly positioned within the bearing opening 2321 of the corresponding side member 2320 and the transmission axle 2388 positioned within the opening 2347 defined by the axle portion 2346 of the base 2340, the belt 2379 arranged around the drive sprocket 2378 and transmission sprocket 2381 may be in a tensile state. Therefore, the arrangement of the side member 2320 movably coupled to the base 2340 allows the belt 2379 to be held with an appropriate amount of tension so that the belt 2379 does not substantially slip along the teeth 2379 of the drive sprocket 2378 and / or the teeth 2382 of the transmission sprocket 2381.

[0090]

[1142] As shown in Figure 21, the first drive assembly 2310 includes a secondary wheel assembly 2390. The secondary wheel assembly 2390 includes a lever arm 2391, a secondary wheel 2393, and a spring 2394. The lever arm 2391 is a substantially angled member including an axle portion 2392, a pivot portion 2395, and an engagement portion 2396. The axle portion 2392 is located at the first end of the lever arm 2391 and is movably coupled to the secondary wheel 2393 so that the secondary wheel 2393 rotates around the axle portion 2392. The pivot portion 2395 is movably coupled to a portion of the front end support member 2350 that defines the lever arm notch 2351. For example, in some embodiments, the pivot portion 2395 of the lever arm 2391 may include an opening configured to receive, for example, a pivot pin (not shown) contained within the front end support member 2350. In this form, the pivot pin can define an axis around which the pivot portion 2395 can pivot or rotate.

[0091]

[1143] The engaging portion 2396 is configured to engage with a portion of the spring 2394. More specifically, as shown in Figure 22, the first end of the spring 2394 contacts the spring recess 2352 defined by the front end support member 2350, and the second end of the spring 2394 contacts the engaging portion 2396. In this form, the spring 2394 can exert a force on the engaging portion 2396 to pivot the lever arm 2391 around the pivot portion 2395. More specifically, as shown in Figure 22, the force exerted by the spring 2394 can pivot the lever arm 2391 so that the auxiliary wheel 2393 pivots toward the drive wheel 2385. Thus, when the first drive assembly 2310 is positioned near the support track 2050, the auxiliary wheel 2393 can be positioned in contact with the underside of the horizontal portion 2051 of the support track 2050. Furthermore, the force exerted by spring 2394 is such that the drive wheel 2385 and the auxiliary wheel 2393 are each supported by the horizontal portion 2 of the support track 2051. Compressive forces are applied to the upper and lower surfaces of 051. This arrangement can increase friction, for example, between the drive wheel 2385 and the horizontal portion 2051 of the support track 2050.

[0092]

[1144] Figures 24–26 show the second drive assembly 2400. The second drive assembly 2400 can function similarly to the first drive assembly 2310, and therefore some parts of the second drive assembly 2400 are not described in further detail herein. The second drive assembly 2400 includes a support structure 2405, a set of guide wheel assemblies 2430, a set of main wheel assemblies 2440, a coupler 2460, and an encoder 2470. As shown in the figures, at least a portion of the second drive assembly 2400 is substantially symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal plane (not shown) defined by the second drive assembly 2400. In this form, each side of the second drive assembly 2400 contains similar components, thereby increasing versatility and reducing manufacturing costs. For example, the second drive assembly 2400 includes two side members 2420, and the coupler 2460 and encoder 2470 are shown coupled to a specific side member 2420, but in other embodiments, the coupler 2460 and encoder 2470 may be coupled to other side members 2420.

[0093]

[1145] The support structure 2405 includes two side members 2410, a base 2420, a set of front end support members 2431, a set of rear end support members 2432, and a set of lateral support members 2433. As shown in Figures 24 to 26, the side members 2410 are identical (for example, due to the symmetry of the first drive assembly 2400). Each side member 2410 defines a bearing opening 2411 that receives a bearing 2454 (Figure 25) contained within the drive wheel assembly 2470. More specifically, the bearing 2454 may be positioned within the bearing opening 2411 such that the outer surface of the drive bearing 2454 forms a friction fit with the surface of the side member 2410 defining the bearing opening 2411. Similarly, the surfaces of the drive bearing 2454 and the side 2410 defining the bearing opening 2411 form a press fit to hold the drive bearing 2454 within the bearing opening 2411.

[0094]

[1146] The base 2420 is configured to be fixedly coupled to the side member 2410. The base 2420 includes mounting plates 2421 configured to extend from the top and bottom surfaces of the base 2420 for coupling the second drive assembly 2400 to the base 2210 of the housing 2200 (e.g., via any suitable mounting hardware such as a mechanical fastener or similar). The arrangement of the mounting plates 2421 can be such that when the second drive assembly 2400 is positioned near the support track 2050, the mounting plates 2421 substantially restrict the lateral movement of the second drive mechanism 2400 relative to the longitudinal centerline (not shown) of the support track 2050. In some embodiments, the mounting plates 2421 may include any suitable surface finish that is smooth enough to slide along the bottom surface of the horizontal portion 2051 of the support track 2050. In other embodiments, the mounting plate 2421 may be formed from a material such as nylon or the like that facilitates the sliding of the mounting plate 2421 along the bottom surface of the support track 2050.

[0095]

[1147] The front support member 2431, the rear support member 2432, and the lateral support member 2433 can be arranged similarly to the front support member 2350, the rear support member 2354, and the lateral support member 2358 described above with reference to Figures 17 to 19. In this configuration, the side member 2410 and the support members 2431, 2432, and 2433 can define a space configured to substantially enclose at least a portion of the main wheel assembly 2440. Furthermore, the lateral support member 2433 can define an opening configured to receive the bearing 2454 of the main wheel assembly 2350 in a manner similar to the lateral member 2333 described above. However, as shown in Figures 24 to 26, the front support member 2431, the rear support member 2432, and The lateral support member 2433 may differ in that the front support member 2431, the rear support member 2432, and the lateral support member 2433 do not need to include one or more notches and / or recesses to accommodate any part of the second drive assembly 2400.

[0096]

[1148] The second drive assembly 2400 includes four guide wheel assemblies 2440. Each guide wheel assembly 2440 includes a mounting bracket 2441 and a guide wheel 2443. More specifically, each guide wheel 2443 is rotatably coupled to one of the mounting brackets 2441 so that the guide wheel 2443 can rotate relative to the mounting bracket 2441. Each guide wheel assembly 2440 is configured to be coupled to a part of the support structure 2405. More specifically, as shown in Figures 24 to 26, the mounting bracket 2441 of each guide wheel assembly 2440 is coupled to one of the front support members 2431 or one of the rear support members 2432. Similarly, both front support members 2431 are coupled to a mounting bracket 2441 included in one of the guide wheel assemblies 2440, and both rear support members 2432 are coupled to a mounting bracket 2441 included in one of the guide wheel assemblies 2440. The guide wheel assembly 2440 is coupled to the support structure 2405 such that a portion of the guide wheel 2443 extends into the space defined between the transverse members 2433. In this configuration, the guide wheel 2443 can roll along the surface of the vertical portion 2052 of the support track 2050 when the second drive assembly 2400 is coupled to the support track 2050 (see, for example, Figure 26). As described above with reference to the first drive assembly 2310, the guide wheel assembly 2440 may be arranged in any suitable configuration to restrict the rotational motion of the second drive assembly 2400 around the longitudinal centerline of the support track 2050.

[0097]

[1149] Each main wheel assembly 2450 includes a main wheel 2451 having a hub 2452, an axle 2453, and a bearing 2454. As described above, the axle 2453 may be housed within a bearing 2354, which is coupled to a side member 2410 and a transverse member 2433. In this configuration, each main wheel 2451 can rotate relative to the support structure 2405 around its corresponding axle 2453. As shown in Figure 26, a second drive assembly 2400 is positioned near the support track 2050 such that the main wheels 2451 roll along the upper surface of the horizontal portion 2051. Similarly, the guide wheel 2443 rolls along the surface of the vertical portion 2052 of the support track 2050.

[0098]

[1150] As shown in Figures 24 and 26, the axle 2453 is configured to extend through a bearing 2454 located within an opening 2411 in the side member 2410. In this configuration, the coupler 2460 can be coupled to the axle 2453 to connect it to the encoder 2470. Thus, the encoder 2470 can receive and / or determine information relating to the rotation of the main wheel 2451. For example, the encoder 2470 can determine position, rotational speed, rotational acceleration, or similar. Furthermore, the encoder 2470 can communicate with a part of the electronic system 2700 (e.g., via wired or wireless communication) and send information relating to the second drive assembly 2400 to the part of the electronic system 2700. When receiving information from the encoder 2470, the part of the electronic system 2700 can send signals relating to the execution of an action (e.g., increasing or decreasing the output of one or more motors or similar), as will be described in more detail herein. In some examples, the electronic system 2700 can determine the position of the trolley 2100 relative to the support track 2050 based at least in part on information sent from the encoder 2470 associated with the second drive assembly 2400. In such examples, a user (e.g., a physician, internist, nurse, technician, or similar) can input a set of parameters related to the portion of the support track 2050 along which the trolley 2100 moves. In this form, the user can input a desired position along the support track 2050 for a treatment session. A path can be defined.

[0099]

[1151] Figures 27 to 33 show the support mechanism 2500 contained within the trolley 2100. As shown in Figure 27, the support mechanism 2500 includes a tether 2505, a winch assembly 2510, a guide mechanism 2540, a first pulley 2563, a second pulley 2565, and a cam mechanism 2570. The tether 2505 can be a rope or other long, flexible member that can be formed from any suitable material, such as nylon or other suitable polymer. The tether 2505 includes a first end 2506 that is coupled to a part of the winch assembly 2510 and a second end 2507 that can be coupled to any suitable patient connection mechanism, such as the patient connection mechanism 2800 shown in Figure 34. The tether 2505 is configured to engage with a portion of the winch assembly 2510, the guide mechanism 2540, the cam mechanism 2570, the first pulley 2563, and the second pulley 2565, so that the support mechanism 2500 actively supports at least a portion of the patient's weight, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0100]

[1152] As shown in Figures 29 and 30, the winch assembly 2510 includes a motor 2511, a mounting flange 2515, a coupler 2520, a drum 2525, and an encoder assembly 5230. The motor 2511 is coupled to the coupler 2520 and communicates with a part of the electronic system 2700. The motor 2511 includes an output shaft 2512 which engages with an input portion (not shown) of the coupler 2520 such that the rotation of the output shaft 2512 of the motor 2511 rotates the output member 2521 of the coupler 2520. More specifically, the motor 2511 receives an activation signal (e.g., a current flow) from the electronic system 2700 to rotate the output shaft 2512 in a first rotational direction or a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction. The output shaft 2512 rotates the output member 2521 of the coupler 2520 in the first rotational direction or the second rotational direction, respectively.

[0101]

[1153] The mounting flange 2515 is positioned over a portion of the coupler 2520 and includes a portion that can be coupled to a third side member 2250 of the housing 2200. In this form, the motor 2511 is supported by the mounting flange 2515 and the housing 2200. The output member 2521 of the coupler 2520 is coupled to the mounting plate 2522 of the drum 2525 such that the drum 2525 rotates in the first or second direction, respectively, when the output shaft 2512 of the motor 2511 is rotated in the first or second direction. Although not shown, in some embodiments the coupler 2520 may include one or more gears that can be arranged in any suitable form to define a desired gear ratio. In this form, the rotation of the output shaft 2512 may have a first rotational speed in the first or second direction, and the rotation of the drum 2525 may have a second rotational speed (e.g., a higher or lower rotational speed) in the first or second direction that is different from the first rotational speed of the output shaft 2525. In some embodiments, the coupler 2520 may include one or more clutches that can be configured to reduce and / or dampen shocks (i.e., forces) that may arise from the electronic system 2700 sending signals to the motor 2511 related to a change in the rotational direction of the output shaft 2512.

[0102]

[1154] The drum 2525 is positioned between the mounting plate 2522 and the end plate 2529. As will be described in more detail herein, the encoder drum 2531 of the encoder assembly 2530 is coupled to the end flange 2529 such that at least a portion of the encoder assembly 2530 is positioned within the internal volume 2528 defined by the drum 2525. The drum 2525 has an outer surface 2526 that defines a set of helical grooves 2527. The helical grooves 2527 receive a portion of the tether 2505 and define a path along which the tether 2505 can wrap around the drum 2525 to wind and / or unwind. For example, the motor 2511 may receive a signal from the electronic system 2700 to rotate the output shaft 2512 in a first direction. In this form, the drum 2525 is rotated in the first direction, and the tether The tether 2505 can be wound around, for example, the drum 2525. Conversely, the motor 2511 can receive a signal from the electronic system 2700 to rotate the output shaft 2512 in a second direction, so that the drum is rotated in the second direction and the tether 2505 can be unwound from, for example, the drum 2525.

[0103]

[1155] The encoder assembly 2530 includes an encoder drum 2531, a mounting flange 2532, a bearing bracket 2533, a bearing 2535, a coupler 2536, an encoder 2537, and an encoder housing 2538. As described above, the first end of the encoder drum 2531 is coupled to the end flange 2529 of the drum 2525 such that a portion of the encoder assembly 2530 is positioned within the internal volume 2528 of the drum 2525. The mounting flange 2532 is coupled to the second end of the encoder drum 2531 and further coupled to the bearing bracket 2533. The bearing bracket 2533 includes an axle 2534 around which the bearing 2535 is positioned. The coupler 2536 is coupled to the axle 2534 of the bearing bracket 2533 and is configured to couple the encoder 2537 to the bearing bracket 2533. As shown in Figure 28, the coupler 2536 and encoder 2537 are located within the encoder housing 2538. More specifically, the coupler 2536 is movably located within the encoder housing 2538, and the encoder 2537 is fixedly coupled to the encoder housing 2538. Furthermore, the first end of the encoder housing 2538 is located around the bearing 2535, and the second end of the encoder housing 2538 contacts and is fixedly coupled to the recessed portion 2244 of the second side member 2240 of the housing 2240. In this configuration, the encoder drum 2531, mounting flange 2532, bearing bracket 2533, and coupler 2536 are configured to rotate simultaneously with the drum 2525 relative to the encoder 2537 and encoder housing 2538. Thus, the encoder 2537 can receive and / or determine information related to the rotation of the drum 2525. For example, encoder 2537 can determine the position, rotational speed, rotational acceleration, feed rate, or similar of the tether 2505. Furthermore, encoder 2537 can communicate with a part of the electronic system 2700 (for example, via wired or wireless communication) and send information related to the winch assembly 2510 to a part of the electronic system 2700.When receiving information from encoder 2537, parts of the electronic system 2700 may send signals related to the execution of an action (e.g., increasing or decreasing the output of one or more motors or similar) to any other suitable system, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0104]

[1156] Returning to Figure 27, the guide mechanism 2540 of the support mechanism 2500 is at least partially located within the guide mechanism opening 2215 of the base 2210 contained within the housing 2200. More specifically, the guide mechanism 2540 includes a set of mounting brackets 2541 that are coupled to mounting tabs 2216 of the base 2210. In this form, at least a portion of the guide mechanism 2540 is suspended within the guide mechanism opening 2215. As shown in Figure 31, the guide mechanism 2540 includes mounting brackets 2541, a guide drum assembly 2545, a stopper bracket 2550, a stopper 2551, a roller assembly 2554, a coupler 2559, a support bracket 2560, and an encoder 2561. As described above, the mounting brackets 2541 are coupled to mounting tabs 2216 of the base 2210. The mounting bracket 2541 includes a first mounting portion 2542 that is movably coupled to a part of the guide drum assembly 2545, a second mounting portion 2543 that is fixedly coupled to the stopper bracket 2550, and a pivot portion 2544 that is movably coupled to a part of the roller assembly 2554. The stopper bracket 2550 is further coupled to the stopper 2551 and is configured to restrict the movement of the guide drum assembly 2545 relative to the mounting bracket 2541.

[0105]

[1157] The guide drum assembly 2545 includes a guide drum 2546, a set of pivot plates 2547, and a stopper plate 2549. The guide drum 2546 is movably coupled to the pivot plates 2547. For example, although not shown in Figure 31, each pivot plate 2547 may include an opening configured to receive an axle around which the guide drum 2546 can rotate. Each pivot plate 2547 may include a pivot axle 2548 that can be positioned within an opening (not shown) defined by a first mounting portion 2542 of the mounting bracket 2541. In this form, the guide drum assembly 2545 can pivot around the pivot axle 2548 relative to the mounting bracket 2541. The stopper plate 2549 is configured to engage with a portion of a stopper 2551 to restrict the pivot rotational movement of the guide drum assembly 2545 relative to the mounting bracket 2541. More specifically, with the stopper bracket 2550 fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket 2541 and the stopper 2551, the guide drum assembly 2545 can pivot and rotate toward the stopper bracket 2550 so that the stopper plate 2549 is positioned in contact with the stopper 2551 (for example, in response to a force acting on the tether 2505, as will be described in further detail herein). The stopper 2551 can be any suitable shape, size, or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the stopper 2551 can be an elastomer member configured to absorb some of the force acting on the guide drum assembly 2545 when the stopper plate 2549 is positioned in contact with the stopper 2551.

[0106]

[1158] The roller assembly 2554 includes a set of swing arms 2555 and a set of rollers 2558. The swing arms 2555 include a first end 2556 and a second end 2557. The first end 2556 of the swing arms 2555 is movably coupled to the rollers 2558. More specifically, the rollers 2558 may be positioned such that a spacing defined between them can receive part of a tether 2505. Thus, when the tether 2505 is moved relative to the rollers 2558, the rollers 2558 can rotate relative to the swing arms 2555. The second end 2557 of the swing arms 2555 is coupled to a pivot portion 2543 of a mounting bracket 2541. For example, as shown in Figure 31, the pivot portion 2543 may include a set of axles arranged in bearings. In this configuration, the second end 2557 of the swing arm 2555 can be coupled to the axle so that the roller assembly 2554 and the axle can pivot relative to the mounting bracket 2541 (for example, in response to a force acting on the tether 2505, as will be described in more detail herein).

[0107]

[1159] A coupler 2559 contained within the guide mechanism 2540 is coupled to the axle of one pivot portion 2543 of the mounting bracket 2541. The coupler 2559 is further coupled to the input shaft of the encoder 2561. More specifically, the support bracket 2560 is coupled to the base 2210 of the housing 2200 and also to a portion of the encoder 2561 to restrict the movement of that portion of the encoder 2561 relative to the base 2210. Thus, the encoder 2561 can receive and / or determine information relating to the pivot motion of the roller assembly 2554 relative to the mounting bracket 2541. For example, the encoder 2561 can determine the position, rotational speed, rotational acceleration, feed rate, or similar of the tether 2505. Furthermore, the encoder 2561 can communicate with a portion of the electronic system 2700 (e.g., via wired or wireless communication) and send information relating to the guide mechanism 2540 to the portion of the electronic system 2700. When receiving information from encoder 2561, a part of the electronic system 2700 performs an action (for example, increasing or decreasing the output of one or more motors 2311 and 2511, changing the direction of one or more motors 2311 and 2511, or Signals related to (and similar) can be sent to any other suitable system.

[0108]

[1160] As shown in Figure 32, the first pulley 2563 and the second pulley 2565 are rotatably coupled to the first pulley bracket 2564 and the second pulley bracket 2565, respectively. The first pulley bracket 2564 and the second pulley bracket 2565 are further coupled to the base 2210 of the housing 2200. In this form, the first pulley 2563, the second pulley 2565, and at least a portion of the cam mechanism 2570 can engage with the tether 2505 to provide a mechanical advantage to the winch assembly 2510, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0109]

[1161] As shown in Figures 32 and 33, the cam mechanism 2570 includes a cam pulley assembly 2571, a cam 2580, a coupler 2585, a coupler housing 2586, an encoder 2587, and a bias mechanism 2588. The cam pulley assembly 2571 includes a cam pulley 2572, a cam arm 2574, a cam axle 2575, and a spacer 2576. The cam arm 2574 includes a first end rotatably coupled to the cam pulley 2572 and a second end rotatably coupled to the cam axle 2575. The cam axle 2575 extends through a cam pivot opening 2220 (defined by a base 2210), a spacer 2576, and a cam 2580 to be coupled to the coupler 2585. Spacer 2576 is coupled to the base 2210 and positioned between the second side surface 2212 of the base 2210 and the surface of the cam 2580. Spacer 2576 may be formed from a material having a relatively low coefficient of friction, such as polyethylene, nylon, or the like, to allow the cam 2580 to move relatively easily along the surface of spacer 2576. In this form, the cam 2580 is spaced at a sufficient distance from the second side surface 2212 of the base 2210 to allow a portion of the bias mechanism 2588 to be positioned between the cam 2580 and the second side surface 2212, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0110]

[1162] The cam 2580 of the cam assembly 2570 defines an opening 2581 and includes a mounting portion 2582 and an engaging surface 2583. The engaging surface 2583 of the cam 2580 contacts a portion of the bias mechanism 2588, as will be described in more detail herein. The opening 2581 defined by the cam 2580 receives a bearing 2584. When positioned within the opening 2581, the bearing 2584 allows the cam 2580 to rotate around the cam axle 2575. The mounting portion 2582 of the cam 2580 is at least partially positioned within the cam pulley opening 2219 and coupled to the cam pulley 2572. For example, as shown in Figure 33, the mounting portion 2582 is a threaded rod extending from the surface of the cam 2580, which may be received by a threaded opening (not shown) defined by the cam pulley 2572. In this configuration, the movement of the cam pulley assembly 2571 in response to a change in the force acting on the tether 2505 (e.g., an increase or decrease in force) causes the cam 2580 to rotate around the cam axle 2575 (as described above).

[0111]

[1163] The coupler housing 2586 is coupled to the surface of the cam 2580 opposite to the side adjacent to the spacer 2576. In other words, the coupler housing 2586 extends away from the base 2210 when coupled to the cam 2580. The coupler housing 2586 is further coupled to the encoder 2587. Thus, when the cam 2580 rotates around the cam axle 2575, the coupler housing 2586 and encoder 2587 also rotate around the cam axle 2575. The coupler 2585 is located within the coupler housing 2586 and is coupled to both the cam axle 2575 and the input portion (not shown) of the encoder 2575. Thus, with the coupler 2585 coupled to the cam axle 2575 and the input portion of the encoder 2587, the rotation of the cam 2580 and coupler housing 2586 causes the encoder 2587 to rotate around its input portion. In this configuration, encoder 2587 is relative to cam 2580 and / or cam pulley assembly 2575. Information related to the pivot motion of the breech 2571 can be received and / or determined. For example, encoder 2587 can determine the position, rotational speed, rotational acceleration, feed rate, or similar of the tether 2505. Furthermore, encoder 2587 can communicate with a part of the electronic system 2700 (e.g., via wired or wireless communication) and send information related to the cam mechanism 2570 to that part of the electronic system 2700. When receiving information from encoder 2587, the part of the electronic system 2700 can send signals related to the execution of an action (e.g., increasing or decreasing the output of one or more motors 2311 and 2511, changing the direction of one or more motors 2311 and 2511, or similar) to any other suitable system.

[0112]

[1164] The bias mechanism 2588 includes an axle 2589, a mounting flange 2590, a first pivot arm 2591, a second pivot arm 2595, a guide member 2596, a bias member 2597, and a mounting post 2598. The axle 2589 is movably positioned within the mounting flange 2588 and extends through a bias mechanism opening 2217 defined by the base 2210 to be fixedly positioned within an axle opening 2592 defined by the second pivot arm 2591. More specifically, a portion of the mounting flange 2589 extends through the bias mechanism opening 2217 and beyond the second side surface 2212 of the base 2210 to contact the surface of the second pivot arm 2591. In this form, the surface of the second pivot arm 2591 is offset from the second side surface 2212 of the base 2210. Furthermore, the arrangement of the spacer 2576 (described above) is such that when the axle 2589 is positioned within the axle opening 2592, the second surface of the first pivot arm 2591 is offset from the surface of the cam 2580. Thus, the first pivot arm 2591 can pivot relative to the base 2210 with relatively little friction. In some embodiments, at least the portion of the mounting flange 2590 extending through the bias mechanism opening 2217 may be made of a material having a relatively low coefficient of friction, such as polyethylene, nylon, or the like.

[0113]

[1165] The first pivot arm 2591 defines an axle opening 2592 and a guide member opening 2593 and includes an engaging member 2594. The guide member opening 2593 is configured to receive a portion of the guide member 2596 for coupling the guide member 2596 to the first pivot arm 2591. The guide member 2596 extends from the surface of the first pivot arm 2591 toward the base 2210 such that a portion of the guide member 2596 extends through a guide member opening 2218 defined by the base 2210. In some embodiments, the guide member 2596 may include a sleeve or similar configured to engage with the base 2210. In such embodiments, the sleeve may be formed from a material having a relatively low coefficient of friction, such as polyethylene, nylon, or similar. Thus, the guide member 2596 can move within the guide member track 2218 when the first pivot arm 2591 is moved relative to the base 2210.

[0114]

[1166] The engaging member 2594 of the first pivot arm 2591 extends from the surface of the first pivot arm 2591 toward the cam 2580. In this form, the engaging member 2594 can move along the engaging surface 2583 of the cam 2580 when the cam 2580 is moved relative to the base 2210, as will be described in more detail herein. In some embodiments, the engaging member 2594 can be rotatably coupled to the first pivot arm 2591 and configured to roll along the engaging surface 2583. In other embodiments, the engaging member 2594 and / or the engaging surface 2583 can be formed from a material having a relatively low coefficient of friction. In such embodiments, the engaging member 2594 can slide along the engaging surface 2583.

[0115]

[1167] The second pivot arm 2595 of the bias mechanism 2588 is fixed to the axle 2589. It has a first end that is connected to the first end of the bias member 2597 and a second end that is connected to the first end of the bias member 2597. The mounting post 2598 is fixedly connected to the base 2210 and further connected to the second end of the bias member 2597. Thus, the second pivot arm 2595 can pivot and rotate relative to the mounting flange 2590 between a first position in which the bias member 2597 is in a first configuration (undeformed configuration) and a second position in which the bias member 2597 is in a second configuration (deformed configuration). For example, in some embodiments, the bias member 2597 can be a spring that can move between an uncompressed configuration (e.g., first configuration) and a compressed configuration (e.g., second configuration). In other embodiments, the bias member 2597 can be a spring that can move between an unstretched configuration and a stretched configuration. In other words, the bias member 2597 can be either a compression spring or a stretch spring, respectively. In yet another embodiment, the bias member 2597 can be any other suitable bias mechanism and / or energy storage device, such as a gas strut or similar.

[0116]

[1168] As cam 2580 rotates from a first position to a second position in response to a force acting on tether 2505 (as described above), bias member 2597 can exert a reaction force to resist the rotation of cam 2580. More specifically, with engaging member 2594 in contact with engaging surface 2583 of cam 2580, bias member 2587 exerts a reaction force to resist the movement of engaging member 2594 along engaging surface 2583. Thus, in some examples, relatively small changes in the force acting on tether 2505 may not be large enough to rotate cam 2580 and cam pulley assembly 2571. This arrangement can reduce undesirable changes in the amount of weight supported by the support system 2000 in response to minor fluctuations in the force acting on tether 2505.

[0117]

[1169] Figure 34 shows the patient connection mechanism 2800. The patient connection mechanism 2800 can be engaged with the second end 2507 of the tether 2505 to connect the patient connection mechanism 2800 to the trolley 2100. Furthermore, the patient connection mechanism 2800 can be attached to a harness or similar worn by the patient to connect the patient to the support system 2000, as described below.

[0118]

[1170] The patient connection mechanism 2800 has a first coupling portion 2810 and a second coupling portion 2812. The first coupling portion 2810 includes a coupling mechanism 2811 configured to couple to the second end 2507 of the tether, as described above. For example, the coupling mechanism 2811 can be a loop or hook configured to couple to the connecting device of the tether 2505 (not shown in Figures 2 to 34). The second coupling portion 2821 is movably coupled to the first arm 2820 and the second arm 2840. As will be described in more detail herein, the first and second arms 2820 and 2840 can pivot and rotate relative to each other to absorb at least some of the forces acted by the weight of the patient coupled to the patient connection mechanism 2800.

[0119]

[1171] The first arm 2820 of the patient connection mechanism 2800 includes a pivot portion 2821 and a mounting portion 2822. The pivot portion 2821 is movably coupled to a second coupling portion 2812. The mounting portion 2822 receives a guide rod 2830, as will be described in more detail herein. The first arm 2820 defines a slot 2824 for receiving a portion of the second arm 2840 and an opening 2826 for receiving a portion of a harness to be worn by the patient.

[0120]

[1172] The second arm 2840 has a pivot portion 2841 and a connecting portion 2842. The pivot portion 2841 is movably connected to the second connecting portion 2812. In this form, both the first arm 2820 and the second arm 2840 can pivot and rotate relative to the connecting portion 2812 and relative to each other, as will be described in more detail herein. The connecting portion 2842 defines an opening 2843 that receives a portion of the harness worn by the patient. The connecting portion 2842 is also movably connected to the first end of the first energy storage member 2844 and the first end of the second energy storage member 2851 (collectively referred to as energy storage member 2850). The energy storage member 2850 may be, for example, a gas strut or the like.

[0121]

[1173] As shown in Figure 34, the energy storage member 2850 is configured to extend toward the first arm 2820. More specifically, the second energy storage member 2851 includes a coupling portion 2852 that is movably coupled to the guide rod 2830 of the first arm 2820. The first energy storage member 2844 also includes a coupling portion (not shown in Figure 34) that is movably coupled to the engaging member 2845 and further coupled to the coupling portion 2852 of the second energy storage member 2851. Similarly, the coupling portion of the first energy storage member 2844 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline (not shown) of the first energy storage member 2844.

[0122]

[1174] The engaging member 2845 is movably coupled to the coupling portion 2852 of the first energy storage member 2844 and the coupling portion 2851 of the second coupling portion 2851. The engaging member 2845 is configured to be positioned in contact with the engaging surface 2825 of the first arm 2820, which at least partially defines the slot 2825. Similarly, the engaging member 2845 is positioned in contact with the engaging surface 2825 within the slot 2824 defined by the first arm 2820. Furthermore, the arrangement of the engaging member 2845 and the energy storage member 2850 allows the engaging member 2845 to roll along the engaging surface 2825.

[0123]

[1175] When a force is applied by the patient to the first arm 2820 and the second arm 2840, the first arm 2820 and the second arm 2840 pivot rotation toward each other around the second joint portion 2812. The pivot rotation of the first arm 2820 and the second arm 2840 moves the engaging member 2845 toward the engaging surface 2825 and further moves the energy storage member 2850 from a lower potential energy configuration to a higher potential energy configuration (e.g., compressing a gas strut). Thus, the energy storage member 2850 can absorb at least a portion of the force acting on the patient connection mechanism 2800. Furthermore, when the force acting on the patient connection mechanism 2800 is less than the potential energy of the energy storage member 2850 in the second configuration, the energy storage member 2850 can move toward its first position to pivot rotation of the first arm 2820 and the second arm 2840 toward each other.

[0124]

[1176] During use, the patient support system 2000 may be used to actively support at least a portion of the weight of the patient to which it is coupled. For example, as described above, in some examples, the patient is coupled to the patient connection mechanism 2800, which is coupled to the second end 2507 of the tether 2505. In this form, the support system 2000 (e.g., the tether 2505, trolley 2100, and support rail 2050) can support at least a portion of the patient's weight.

[0125]

[1177] In some embodiments, a user (technician, therapist, physician, internist, or similar) can input a set of system parameters related to the patient and the support system 2000. For example, in some embodiments, the user can input a set of system parameters via a remote control device such as a personal computer, mobile device, smartphone, or similar. In other embodiments, the user can input system parameters on a control panel included in or on the trolley 2100. System parameters include, for example, the patient's weight, the patient's height, a desired amount of weight to be supported by the support system 2000, a desired speed of patient walking during gait therapy, and the length of the support track 2050. This may include a desired route or distance, or something similar.

[0126]

[1178] With system parameters entered, the patient can, for example, begin a walking therapy session. In some examples, the trolley 2100 can move along the support structure 2050 in response to the patient's movement (as described above with reference to Figures 23 and 26). Similarly, the trolley 2100 can move along the support structure 2050 when the patient walks. In some examples, the trolley 2100 may be configured to remain substantially above the patient's head. In such examples, the electronic system 2700 can execute a set of commands related to the control of the motor 2311 of the drive system 2300 based on information received from, for example, the encoder 2470 of the drive system 2300, the encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540, and / or the encoder 2587 of the cam assembly 2570. For example, the electronic system 2700 can send a signal to the motor 2311 of the drive system 2300 that acts when changing the rotational speed of the drive wheel 2385 based at least in part on information related to the encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540. To elaborate further, in some cases, the patient may walk faster than the trolley 2100, thereby changing the angle of the tether 2505 and the guide mechanism 2540 relative to the base 2210. Therefore, the encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540 can send a signal related to the angle of the guide mechanism 2540 relative to the base 2210, and upon receiving this signal, the electronic system 2700 can send a signal to the motor 2311 of the drive system 2300 to increase the rotational speed of the drive wheel 2385. In this way, the position of the trolley 2100 relative to the patient can be actively controlled, at least in part, based on user-defined parameters, and at least in part, based on information received from the encoder 2470 of the drive system 2300, the encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540, and / or the encoder 2587 of the cam assembly 2570. While described as being actively controlled to be above the patient's head, another example is that the user can define parameters related to the trolley 2100 following the patient or leading the patient at a desired distance.

[0127]

[1179] In some cases, the amount of force exerted on the tether 2505 by the patient may increase or decrease. For example, the patient may stumble, which may increase the amount of force exerted on the tether 2505. In such cases, the increase in force acting on the tether 2505 can pivot the guide mechanism 2540, causing the cam pivot arm 2571 to move in response to the increased force. The movement of the cam pivot arm 2571 moves the cam assembly 2570 (as described above with reference to Figure 33). In this manner, the encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540 and the encoder 2587 of the cam assembly 2570 can send signals to the electronic system 2700 related to the changes in the state of the guide mechanism 2540 and the cam assembly 2570, respectively.

[0128]

[1180] Upon receiving signals from encoders 2561 and 2587, the processor can execute a set of instructions contained in memory related to the cam assembly 2570. For example, the processor can determine the position of the cam 2580 or guide mechanism 2540, the velocity and acceleration of the cam 2580 or guide mechanism 2540, or similar. Based on the determination of changes in the configuration of the guide mechanism 2540 and the cam assembly 2570, the processor can send signals to the motor 2311 of the first drive assembly 2310 and / or the motor 2511 of the winch assembly 2510 to change the current state of the drive system 2300 and / or the patient support mechanism 2500. In some examples, the magnitude of the change in the state of the drive system and / or the patient support mechanism 2500 is at least partially based on proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. In such an example, the electronic system 2700 (e.g., the processor or any other electronic device communicating with the processor) determines the change in the patient support mechanism 2500 and models the change based on PID control. Based on the results of the modeling, the processor controls the drive system 2300 and / or the patient It is possible to determine the appropriate magnitude of change in the support mechanism 2500.

[0129]

[1181] After a relatively short time period (for example, much shorter than one second, e.g., after one or a few clock cycles of the processor), the processor may receive signals from the encoder 2470 of the drive system 2300, the encoder 2537 of the winch assembly 2510, the encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540, and / or the encoder 2587 of the cam assembly 2570, respectively, relating to changes in the configuration of the drive system 2300, the winch assembly 2510, the encoder 2537 of the winch assembly 2510, the encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540, and / or the encoder 2587 of the cam assembly 2570. In this way, one or more electronic devices included in the electronic system 2700, including but not limited to the processor, execute a set of instructions stored in memory relating to feedback associated with the encoders 2470, 2537, 2561, and 2587. Accordingly, the drive system 2300 and patient support mechanism 2500 of the trolley 2100 can be actively controlled in response to changes in the force acting on the tether 2505, at least in part, based on the current and / or previous states of the drive system 2300 and patient support mechanism 2500. Similarly, the support system 2000 can actively reduce the amount the patient falls after tripping or falling for other reasons.

[0130]

[1182] Although the patient support system 2000 is described above with reference to Figures 2 to 34 as actively supporting a portion of the patient's weight, in some embodiments the patient support system may passively (i.e., not actively) support a portion of the patient's weight. Figures 35 and 36 show a partial weight-bearing support system 3900 according to one embodiment. The partial weight-bearing support system 3900 (also referred to herein as the “support system”) may be used to support a portion of the patient’s weight, for example, during gait therapy, gait training, or similar. The support system 3900 may be movably coupled to a support track (not shown) configured to support the weight of the support system 3900 and the weight of the patient using the support system 3900. The support track may be similar to or identical to the support track 2050 described above, for example.

[0131]

[1183] The support system 3900 includes a first coupling portion 3910 and a second coupling portion 3940. The first coupling portion 3910 is configured to be movably coupled to the support track as described above. The first coupling portion 3910 includes a first side assembly 3911, a second side assembly 3921, and a base 3930. The first side assembly 3911 includes a set of drive wheels 3912, a set of guide wheels 3913, an outer wall 3914, an inner wall 3915, and a set of couplers 3916. The couplers 3916 are configured to extend between the outer wall 3914 and the inner wall 3915 in order to couple the outer wall 3914 and the inner wall 3915 together. The outer wall 3914 is further coupled to the base 3930. The drive wheels 3912 are arranged in an upper set of drive wheels 3912 configured to be positioned on the upper surface of the support track and a lower set of drive wheels 3912 configured to be positioned on the lower surface of the support track. In this configuration, the drive wheels 3912 roll along the horizontal portion of the support track (not shown in Figures 35 and 36). The guide wheels 3913 are positioned perpendicular to the drive wheels 3912 and are configured to roll along the vertical portion of the support track (for example, as similarly described above with reference to Figure 32).

[0132]

[1184] The second side assembly 3921 includes a set of drive wheels 3922, a set of guide wheels 3923, an outer wall 3924, an inner wall 3925, and a set of couplers 3916. The first side assembly 3911 and the second side assembly 3921 are substantially identical and are arranged in a mirror image configuration. Thus, the second side assembly 3921 is not described in further detail herein and should be considered identical to the first side assembly 3921 unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0133]

[1185] As shown in Figure 36, the second coupling portion 3940 includes a cylinder 3941, a connecting member 3945, a piston 3950, and an energy storage member 3960. The cylinder 3941 is coupled to the base 3930 and is configured to house a spring 3960 and at least a portion of the piston 3950. More specifically, the cylinder 3941 defines an opening 3942 at the end opposite the base 3930, through which at least a first end 3951 of the piston 3950 can move. The piston 3950 further has a second end 3952 that is in contact with a portion of the energy storage member 3960. The energy storage member 3960 can be any suitable device configured to move between a first configuration having lower potential energy and a second configuration having higher potential energy. For example, as shown in Figure 36, the energy storage member 3960 can be a spring that is compressed when moved to the second configuration.

[0134]

[1186] The connecting member 3945 includes a first connecting portion 3946 that connects to the first end 3951 of the piston 3950, and a second connecting portion 3947 that can connect to, for example, a harness worn by a patient. As shown in Figures 35 and 36, the second end 3952 can be an annular projection. In this form, a part of the harness, such as a hook or similar, can be at least partially positioned within an opening defined by the second connecting portion 3947 for connecting the patient to the support system 3900.

[0135]

[1187] During use, the patient may be coupled to the support system 3900 such that the support system 3900 supports at least a portion of the patient's weight (as described above). In this form, the patient can walk along a path associated with a support track (not shown). With the support system 3900 coupled to the patient, the patient's movement causes the support system 3900 to move along the support track. Similarly, the patient pulls the support system 3900 along the support track. In some examples, the patient may stumble while walking, which may increase the amount of force acting on the support system 3900. In such examples, the increase in force acting on the support system 3900 may be sufficient to cause the energy storage member 3960 to move from its first configuration to its second configuration (e.g., compression). In this form, the piston 3950 may move relative to the cylinder 3941, and the energy storage member 3960 may absorb at least a portion of the increase in force acting on the support structure 3900. Therefore, if the patient stumbles, the support system 3900 can dampen the impact experienced by the patient that would otherwise occur within the known passive support system 3900.

[0136]

[1188] The support system 3900 is described as including an energy storage member, but in other embodiments, the support system 3900 does not need to include an energy storage member. For example, in some embodiments, the support system 3900 may be coupled to a connecting mechanism 2800, as described above with reference to Figure 34, for example. In this form, the connecting mechanism 2800 can be used to attenuate at least a portion of the change in force acting on the support system 3900. For example, in some cases, a patient coupled to the support system 3900 may stumble, thereby increasing the force acting on the support system 3900. In such cases, the increase in force may cause the first arm 2820 to move toward the second arm 2840 (see, for example, Figure 34), thereby causing the energy storage member 2850 to move toward its second configuration. Thus, at least a portion of the increase in force may be absorbed by the connecting mechanism 2800.

[0137]

[1189] Although not shown in Figures 2 to 36, one or more active support systems (e.g., support system 2000) and / or one or more passive support systems (e.g., support system 3900) may be located near a similar support track and may be used simultaneously. For example, Figure 37 is a schematic diagram of a support system 4000 according to one embodiment. The support system 4000 comprises a support track 4050, a first support member 4100, and a second support member 4900. The support system 4000 may be used to support at least a portion of the weight of one or more patients, for example, during walking therapy (e.g., after injury), walking training (e.g., low gravity simulation), and / or similar. The support track 4050 is configured to support the weight of the first support member 4100 and the second support member 4900, and the weight of the patient utilizing the first support member 4100 and / or the second support member 4900.

[0138]

[1190] As shown in Figure 37, the support track 4050 can form a closed-loop track. The support track 4050 can be similar to or identical to the support track 2050 described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3, the first support member 4100 can be similar to or identical to the trolley 2100 described above with reference to Figures 2 to 33, and the second support member 4900 can be similar to or identical to the support system 3900 described above with reference to Figures 35 and 36. In this form, the first support member 4100 and the second support member 4900 can be suspended from the support track 4050 as described in detail above.

[0139]

[1191] In some embodiments, a first patient (not shown in Figure 37) may be coupled to a first support member 4100, and a second patient (not shown in Figure 37) may be coupled to a second support member 4900, with both support members suspended from a support track 4050. As shown in Figure 37, the first support member 4100 can move in the direction of arrow A in response to the movement of the first patient coupled to it. Similarly, the second support member 4900 can move in the direction of arrow B in response to the movement of the second patient coupled to it. More specifically, the first support member 4100 can be an active support member and may be configured to move in accordance with the movement of the first patient as described in detail above. Conversely, the second support member 4900 can be a passive support member and may be moved by the second patient coupled to it as described in detail above.

[0140]

[1192] The support system 4000 is illustrated and described as including a first support member 4100 and a second support member 4900, but in other embodiments, the support system 4000 may include any suitable number of support members movably coupled to the support track 4050. Furthermore, any combination of active and passive support members may be included in the support system 4000. For example, it is illustrated as including an active support member (e.g., the first support member 4100) and a passive support member (e.g., the second support member 4900), but in other embodiments, the support system 4000 may include two active support members, two passive support members, two active support members and two passive support members, or any other suitable combination thereof.

[0141]

[1193] Although not shown in Figure 37, the support system 4000 (i.e., the first support member 4100 and / or the second support member 4900) may include a collision management system configured to prevent and / or mitigate the impact, force, or effects of a collision between the first support member 4100 and the second support member 4900. For example, in some embodiments, the first support member 4100 may include a sensor (e.g., an ultrasonic proximity sensor or similar) configured to sense the relative position of the first support member 4100 to the second support member 4900. Thus, when the distance between the first support member 4100 and the second support member 4900 approaches a predetermined threshold (e.g., minimum distance), an electronic system contained within the first support member 4100 (e.g., similar to or identical to the electronic system 2700 described above) may send a signal to the drive system (not shown) to increase or decrease the rotational speed of one or more drive wheels. Thus, a collision between the first support member 4100 and the second support member 4900 can be avoided. In other embodiments, the collision management system may increase or decrease the speed of one or more drive wheels in order to substantially reduce the forces associated with the collision between the first support member 4100 and the second support member 4900.

[0142]

[1194] The first support member 4100 is described above as including a sensor and / or equivalent configured to sense the position of the first support member 4100 relative to the second support member 4900, but in other embodiments, the support system may include any suitable member, device, mechanism, assembly, and / or equivalent configured to substantially maintain the distance between the first support member and the second support member and / or to otherwise reduce the forces or likelihood of collision associated with the collision. In other embodiments, the support system may include and / or be coupled to any suitable member, device, mechanism, assembly, and / or equivalent configured to prevent direct contact between the first support member and the second support member (e.g., positioned and / or coupled between them). For example, Figures 38 to 40 show a support system 5000 according to one embodiment. The support system 5000 includes a first support member 5100, a second support member 5100', a collision management assembly 5080, and a support track 5050. The support track 5050 may be similar to or identical to the support track 2050 (described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3) and / or the support track 4050 (described above with reference to Figure 37). The first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100' may be substantially similar to each other and may be substantially similar to or identical to the trolley 2100 described above with reference to Figures 2 to 33. Thus, the first support member 5100 (e.g., the first trolley) and the second support member 5100' (e.g., the second trolley) may each be an active support system suspended from the support track 5050. More specifically, as shown in Figure 38, the support track 5050 includes a horizontal portion 5051 and a vertical portion 5052 around which the drive mechanisms for the support members 5100 and 5100' can be arranged, thereby allowing the support members 5100 and 5100' to move along the length of the support track 5050 in response to the movement of the supported patient, as described in detail above. Accordingly, the form and function of the support members 5100 and 5100' are not further described herein.

[0143]

[1195] The collision management assembly 5080 of the support system 5000 may be coupled between the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100' and / or otherwise positioned. In some embodiments, the collision management assembly 5080 may be coupled to the first support member 5100 or the second support member 5100'. For example, as shown in Figure 38, the collision management assembly 5080 includes a coupling portion 5090 coupled to the first support member 5100 and a trolley portion 5085 that is movably positioned around the support track 5050. The trolley portion 5085 may be substantially similar in form and / or function to the first coupling portion 3910 of the support system 3900 described above with reference to Figure 35. Thus, the trolley portion 5085 includes a set of wheels 5086 configured to roll along the horizontal portion 5051 or the vertical portion 5082 of the support track 5050, as described in detail above.

[0144]

[1196] The trolley portion 5085 also includes a set of bumpers 5087 extending from the surface of the trolley portion 5085. In some embodiments, the bumpers 5087 may be formed from a relatively elastic material (e.g., rubber, silicone, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, and / or copolymers and similar materials, and combinations thereof) that can be configured to absorb at least a portion of the force when positioned in contact with an object. More specifically, in some examples, a force may be acted upon that allows the trolley portion 5087 to move along the support track 5085 in order to position the bumpers 5087 in contact with an object (e.g., a second support member 5100'). The positioning of the bumpers 5087 may be such that at least a portion of the force acted upon to move the trolley portion 5085 along the support track 5050 when the bumpers are positioned in contact with an object is absorbed by the bumpers 5087, resulting in deformation (e.g., elastic deformation or non-permanent deformation). In such an example, the deformation of the bumper 5087 can reduce a portion of the force transmitted to the object (e.g., the second support member 5100') through the bumper 5087, which can reduce damage to and / or fatigue of the part of the object. Similarly, the bumper 5087 can be used to support the trolley portion 5085 and the object. It may be formed from and / or otherwise incorporate a material capable of absorbing at least a portion of the impact force between it and (for example, a wall, a support member, and / or similar).

[0145]

[1197] As described above, the coupling portion 5090 is coupled to a part of the first support member 5100. More specifically, the first end 5092 of the coupling portion 5090 is rotatably coupled to a part of the first support member 5100. For example, the first end 5092 may include a rotatable eyelet or similar which can be coupled to a part of the first support member 5100 via, for example, a bolt, pin, post, and / or similar, thereby defining an axis around which the first eyelet can rotate. Similarly, the second end 5094 of the coupling portion 5090 may be rotatably coupled to a part of the trolley portion 5085. Thus, the coupling portion 5090 can couple the first support member 5100 and the trolley portion 5085, or otherwise form a linkage between them, such that the movement of the first support member 5100 along the support track 5050 causes the trolley portion 5085 to move along the support track 5050. For example, the coupling portion 5090 may be configured to transmit, transmit, and / or otherwise act upon at least some of the forces associated with the movement of the first support member 5100 along the support track 5050 to the trolley portion 5085. Furthermore, the rotatable coupling of the coupling portion 5090 to the first support member 5100 and the trolley portion 5085 may be such that the first support member 5100 can push the trolley portion 5085 along a substantially non-linear support track, as shown in Figure 38.

[0146]

[1198] The coupling portion 5090 can be any suitable member, device, and / or mechanism. For example, in some embodiments, the coupling portion 5090 can be a substantially rigid rod or similar configured to maintain a substantially fixed distance between the trolley portion 5085 and the first support member 5100. In other embodiments, the coupling portion 5090 can be substantially non-rigid, where the distance between the first support member 5100 and the trolley portion 5085 can be changed (i.e., can be non-fixed). For example, in some embodiments, the first portion 5091 of the coupling portion 5090 can be configured to move relative to the second portion 5092 of the coupling portion 5090. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the coupling portion 5090 can be configured to absorb at least a portion of the forces that would otherwise act on the trolley portion 5085 (related to the movement of the first support member 5100 along the support track 5050). For example, as shown in Figures 38 to 40, the coupling portion 5090 can be a piston-cylinder configuration, where the region of the first portion 5091 (e.g., the piston) is movably positioned within the second portion 5093 (e.g., the cylinder). Furthermore, an energy storage member 5095 (e.g., a spring or similar) may be positioned within the second portion 5093 of the coupling portion 5090, as shown in Figure 40. In this configuration, the relative movement of the first portion 5091 with respect to the second portion 5093 can increase the potential energy of the energy storage member 5095. For example, in some embodiments, the energy storage member 5095 may be a spring that can transition from a substantially uncompressed configuration (i.e., a relatively lower potential energy) to a substantially compressed configuration (i.e., a relatively higher potential energy) when the first portion 5091 is moved relative to the second portion 5093. The energy storage member 5095 may be configured to allow the first portion 5091 to move relative to the second portion 5093 to, for example, about 0.5 inches (0.5"), about 1", about 1.5", about 2", about 2.5", about 3", about 4", about 5", about 7", about 10", or any appropriate distance or fraction in between.Accordingly, the coupling portion 5090 may be configured to absorb at least a portion of the energy and / or force that would otherwise be transmitted and / or transmitted between the first support member 5100 and the trolley portion 5085. Although the energy storage member 5095 is illustrated and described as a spring, in other embodiments the energy storage member 5095 may be any suitable device, member, and / or volume, such as the volume and / or analogous to a compressible gas.

[0147]

[1199] During use, the collision management assembly 5080 may be incorporated into the support system 5000 to substantially prevent collisions between the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100' (see, for example, Figure 38). Similarly, the collision management assembly 5080 may be incorporated into the support system to substantially prevent direct contact between the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100'. For example, in some cases, it may be desirable to maintain a distance between the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100' that is greater than a predetermined minimum distance and / or distance threshold. In this form, the collision management assembly 5080 may be coupled to the first support member 5100 such that a distance greater than a predetermined minimum distance and / or distance threshold is maintained between the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100' as they move along the support track 5050 substantially independently of each other. For example, in some cases, the first support member 5100 can be moved relative to the second support member 5100' such that the distance between it and the second support member 5100' is reduced to a range in which the bumper 5087 of the trolley portion 5085 is positioned in contact with a portion of the second support member 5100'. Thus, the collision management assembly 5080 can maintain the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100' at a distance greater than the minimum distance, thereby preventing direct contact (i.e., direct collision) between them. Furthermore, the arrangement of the bumper 5087 and the coupling portion 5090 is such that at least a portion of the impact-related forces are absorbed when the collision management assembly 5080 is positioned to contact a portion of the second support member 5100' (for example, the bumper 5087 can transition from an undeformed configuration to a deformed configuration, and / or the energy storage member 5095 can transition from a lower potential energy configuration to a higher potential energy configuration). In this configuration, the acceleration and / or jerk (e.g., the rate of change in acceleration) of the first support member 5100 and / or the second support member 5100' is not rapidly changed when the collision control assembly 5080 is brought into contact with the second support member 5100'.In some examples, after the collision management assembly 5080 is positioned in contact with the second support member 5100', the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100' can move substantially in conjunction along the support track 5050. In other words, when the collision management assembly 5080 is positioned in contact with the second support member 5100', the collision management assembly 5080 can push the second support member 5100' so that the first support member 5100, the second support member 5100', and the collision management assembly 5080 move collectively along the support track 5050 at substantially the same speed.

[0148]

[1200] In some embodiments, a portion of the collision management assembly 5080 and / or the support members 5100 and / or 5100' may include, for example, one or more sensors or similar devices capable of sensing and / or detecting one or more parameters related to the collision management assembly 5080. For example, in some embodiments, the trolley portion 5085 of the collision management assembly 5080 may include a sensor, such as an accelerometer or similar device, capable of sensing and / or otherwise detecting the acceleration of the trolley portion 5085 when, for example, the bumper 5087 is positioned in contact with the second support member 5100'. In some examples, the sensor may send a signal related to the acceleration of the trolley portion 5085 to, for example, the electronic system of the first support member 5100. The electronic system may then be configured to control one or more systems of the first support member 5100 (e.g., a drive system or similar device) at least in part based on the signal received from the sensor. For example, in some cases, the electronic system can reduce the speed of the first support member 5100 based at least in part on information received from sensors in the collision management assembly 5080.

[0149]

[1201] The collision management assembly 5080 is illustrated and described as being coupled to the first support member 5100 and positioned in contact with the second support member 5100' (see, for example, Figure 38), but in other embodiments, the collision management assembly 5080 is rotatably coupled to the second support member 5100' and in contact with the first support member 5100 in a manner similar to that described above. It can be arranged in such a manner. Furthermore, the second support member 5100' is illustrated and described as substantially similar to the first support member 5100 (i.e., the active support member), but in other embodiments, the second support member 5100 can be a passive support member, such as the support system 3900 described above with reference to Figures 35 and 36.

[0150]

[1202] The support system 5000 is described above as including a collision management assembly 5080 that substantially maintains the distance between the first support member 5100 and the second support member 5100, but in other embodiments, the support system may include any suitable members, devices, mechanisms, assemblies, and / or similar configured to absorb at least a portion of the energy associated with a collision between the support members and another object (e.g., the second support member, a wall, and / or any other obstacle). For example, Figures 41-42 show a support system 6000 according to one embodiment. The support system 6000 includes a support member 6900 arranged to be movable around a support track 6050. The support track 6050 may be similar to or identical to the support track 2050 (described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3) and / or the support track 4050 (described above with reference to Figure 37). The support member 6900 may be substantially similar to the support system 3900 described above with reference to Figures 35-36. Accordingly, the support member 6900 can be, for example, a passive support system suspended from a support track 6050. More specifically, as shown in Figures 41 and 42, the support track 6050 may include a drive mechanism 6910 for the support member 6900 (for example, similar to or identical to the first coupling portion 3910 of the support system 3900 described above) arranged around it, thereby enabling the support member 6900 to move along the length of the support track 6050 in response to the movement of the supported patient, as described in detail above, and including a horizontal portion 6051 and a vertical portion 6052. Accordingly, the form and function of the support member 6900 are not described in further detail herein.

[0151]

[1203] As shown in Figures 41 and 42, the support member 6900 may be coupled to and / or otherwise incorporated into the impact plate 6020. The impact plate 6020 (e.g., impact control assembly or impact control member) can be any suitable shape, size, or configuration. For example, the impact plate 6020 is shown as having a substantially circular perimeter, but in other embodiments, the impact plate can be any suitable shape, such as a square, rectangle, ellipse, oblong, and / or similar. As shown in Figure 42, the impact plate 6020 may be coupled to a portion of the support member 6900 such that the surface of the impact plate 6020 that contacts the support member 6900 is substantially parallel to the horizontal portion 6051 of the support track 6050. Furthermore, although not shown in Figures 41 and 42, the arrangement of the support member 6900 can be such that the collision plate 6020 is positioned between the drive mechanism 6910 and the coupling portion (for example, the second coupling portion 3940 included in the support system 3900, as described above with reference to Figure 36).

[0152]

[1204] As illustrated, the impact plate 6020 is configured to extend beyond the periphery of the support member 6900. The impact plate 6020 may be formed from and / or include any suitable material that can be substantially rigid, such as wood, medium-density fiber (MDF), plywood, and / or metal or an alloy thereof (e.g., aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel, alloy steel, etc.). In other embodiments, the impact plate 6020 may be formed from and / or include any suitable material that can be substantially resilient, such as rubber, silicone, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, nylon, and / or copolymers and / or combinations thereof. The impact plate 6020 includes a bumper 6021, as shown in Figures 41 and 42, which is otherwise configured to be bonded to and / or extend from the surrounding surface. The bumper 6021 can be any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the bumper 6021 may be made of, for example, foam foam. It may be formed from and / or include from sem-neoprene, ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam, polypropylene (PP) foam, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) foam, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) foam, linear low-density polyethylene (LLPDE) foam, and / or any other suitable thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) foam, and / or analogues. In this form, the bumper 6021 may be configured to absorb, for example, at least a portion of the energy associated with impact. For example, in some examples, the support member 6900 may move along the support track 6050 relative to another support member and / or other object until the bumper 6021 of the impact plate 6020 is positioned in contact with the other support member and / or other object. More specifically, the support member 6900 may move along the support track 6050 in conjunction with the force generated by a patient to which it is coupled and dragging or pulling the support member 6900 (as described above). In some examples, the support member 6900 may move relative to another object on or supported by the support track 6050 in a manner that the support member 6900 and another object (e.g., a second support member or similar) collide. Thus, with the impact plate 6020 coupled to the support member 6900 and the bumper 6021 extending beyond the support member 6900, the bumper 6021 is positioned in contact with the other object, resulting in an elastic deformation of the bumper 6021 in response to at least a portion of the forces associated with the collision. Thus, the bumper 6021 can absorb at least a portion of the energy associated with the collision, for example, to protect and / or minimize damage to the support member 6900 and / or the other object that might otherwise result from the collision.

[0153]

[1205] The support track 4050 is illustrated and described above as substantially a closed-loop track, but in other embodiments, the support track can be an open-loop track. For example, in some embodiments, the support track may have a first end substantially separate from the second end (i.e., an open-loop configuration). In some embodiments, such a support track may include an end stop or similar which can be configured to substantially restrict the movement of a support member, support system, trolley, etc., before reaching the end of the support track. For example, Figures 43 and 44 show a support track 7050 including a track stop 7060 according to one embodiment. The support track 7050 can be substantially similar to the support track 2050 described above. Thus, the support track 7050 may include a horizontal portion 7051 and a vertical portion 7052 which can be configured to support a support system such as a trolley 2100 and / or support system 3900.

[0154]

[1206] The track stop 7060 includes a trolley portion 7065 and a coupling portion 7070. The trolley portion 7065 may be substantially similar in form and / or function to the trolley portion 5085 contained within the collision control assembly 5080 described above with reference to Figures 38-40. Thus, the trolley portion 7065 includes a set of wheels 7066 configured to roll along the horizontal portion 7051 or the vertical portion 7052 of the support track 7050, as described in detail above. The trolley portion 7065 also includes at least one bumper 7067 extending from the surface of the trolley portion 7065 (e.g., away from the end surface of the support track 7050). In some embodiments, the bumper 7067 may be formed from a relatively resilient material (e.g., rubber, silicone, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, and / or copolymers and similar materials, and combinations thereof) which can be configured to absorb at least a portion of the force when positioned in contact with an object, as described in detail above. The arrangement of the bumper 7067 can be such that, for example, when positioned in contact with the support member, at least a portion of the force acting to move the support member along the support track 7050 is absorbed by the bumper 7067, resulting in deformation (e.g., elastic deformation or non-permanent deformation), which can reduce damage to and / or fatigue of a portion of the support member, as described in detail above.

[0155]

[1207] The coupling portion 7070 is coupled to the end of the support track 750 and part of the trolley portion 7065, as shown in Figure 43. More specifically, the mounting bracket 7075 is coupled to the end of the support track 7050 and is configured to couple to the coupling portion 7070 of the support track 7050 and / or otherwise mount it. The coupling portion 7070 can be any suitable member, device, and / or mechanism. For example, in some embodiments, the coupling portion 7070 can be a piston-cylinder device, strut, and / or similar. Thus, the coupling portion 7070 includes a first member 7071 (e.g., a piston) that can move relative to a second member 7073 (e.g., a cylinder). For example, at least a portion of the first member 7071 may be movably positioned within the second member 7073. More specifically, the connecting member 7072 of the first member 7071 is rotatably coupled to the trolley portion 7065 (as described above), and the first member 7071 is configured to move substantially simultaneously with the trolley portion 7065. Similarly, the connecting member 7072 rotatably couples the first member 7071 to the trolley portion 7065 so that the first member 7071 moves axially as the trolley portion 7065 moves along the support track 7050. The second member 7073 of the coupling portion 7070 is fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket 7075, and the mounting bracket 7075 is configured to maintain the second member 7073 in a position substantially fixed relative to the support track 7050. Thus, the movement of the trolley portion 7065 along the support track 7050 moves the first member 7071 of the coupling portion 7070 relative to the second member 7073, as will be described in further detail herein.

[0156]

[1208] As shown in Figure 44, the energy storage member 7074 (e.g., a spring or similar) is positioned within the second portion 7093 of the coupling portion 7070 and is configured to engage with and / or contact at least the surface of the first member 7071. In this form, the relative movement of the first member 7071 with respect to the second member 7073 can increase the potential energy of the energy storage member 7074. For example, in some embodiments, the energy storage member 7074 may be a spring that can transition from a substantially uncompressed configuration (i.e., a relatively lower potential energy) to a substantially compressed configuration (i.e., a relatively higher potential energy) when the first member 7071 is moved relative to the second member 7073 (as shown in Figure 44). The energy storage member 7074 may be configured to allow the first member 7071 to move relative to the second member 7073 to, for example, about 0.5 inches (0.5"), about 1", about 1.5", about 2", about 2.5", about 3", about 4", about 5", about 7", about 10", or any suitable distance or fraction in between. Thus, the coupling portion 7070 may be configured to absorb at least a portion of energy and / or force, as will be described in further detail herein. Although the energy storage member 7074 is illustrated and described as a spring, in other embodiments the energy storage member 7074 may be any suitable device, member, and / or volume, such as, for example, a volume of compressible gas and / or similar.

[0157]

[1209] During use, the track stop 7060 may be included within the support system 7000 to substantially prevent the support member and / or trolley (not shown in Figures 43 and 44) ​​from reaching its end as it moves along the length of the support track 7050. For example, the support member can move along the support track 7050 toward the end to a position where a portion of the support member is positioned in contact with the bumper 7067 of the trolley portion 7065. Thus, the support member exerts a force on the bumper 7067 that can transition the bumper 7067 from an undeformed configuration to a deformed configuration, thereby absorbing at least a portion of the force and / or kinetic energy. Furthermore, the force exerted by the support member can move the trolley portion 7065 along the support track 7050, which moves the first member 7071 of the coupling portion 7070 relative to the second member 7073 of the coupling portion 7070. With the first member 7071 in contact with the energy storage member 7074, the relative movement of the first member 7071 with respect to the second part 7072 can cause the energy storage member 7074 to shift from a lower potential energy configuration to a higher potential energy configuration. In this form, the acceleration and / or jerk (e.g., the rate of change in acceleration) of the support member does not change rapidly because the track stop 7060 restricts further movement of the support member along the support track 7050. Furthermore, by absorbing at least a portion of the kinetic energy and / or force acted upon by the support member, damage to the support member that could otherwise result from the support member hitting a "hard stop" (e.g., a stopping mechanism with little or no energy absorption) is prevented.

[0158]

[1210] While the trolley 2100 is described above as including encoder 2470 of the drive system 2300, encoder 2561 of the guide mechanism 2540, and encoder 2587 of the cam assembly 2570, which are used collectively to determine one or more system parameters (e.g., position, velocity, acceleration), in other embodiments, the trolley and / or analogue may include any suitable device, mechanism, and / or system configured to determine one or more system parameters. For example, Figures 45–47 are schematic diagrams of a trolley 8100 including an optical tracking system 8720 according to one embodiment. The trolley 8100 (e.g., support member) may be substantially similar to or identical to the trolley 2100 described above with reference to Figures 2–33. Thus, the trolley 8100 is an active support system suspended from a support track (not shown in Figures 45–47). However, unlike trolley 2100, trolley 8100 may include an optical tracking system 8720, as will be described in more detail herein.

[0159]

[1211] The optical tracking system 8720 includes at least an imaging device 8725 and a tracking member 8860. As shown in Figure 45, the tracking member 8860 may be coupled to and / or contained within a patient connection mechanism 8800, which may otherwise be substantially similar to the patient connection mechanism 2800 described above with reference to Figure 34. The patient connection mechanism 8800 is operably coupled to the trolley 8100 by a tether 8505. The tether 8505 may be substantially similar to or identical to the tether 2505 contained within the support system 2500 described above with reference to Figures 27 to 33. The tracking member 8860 may have any suitable shape, size, and / or configuration. For example, in some embodiments, the tracking member 8860 may be substantially spherical or elliptical. Although not shown in Figures 45 to 47, the tracking member 8860 may include a surface finish that facilitates optical tracking. For example, in some embodiments, the tracking member 8860 may include a surface having a color and / or pattern that can be used to identify positional information such as relative linear position, relative angular position, absolute position, and so on. Furthermore, information relating to the color, pattern, size, shape, and / or similar aspects of the tracking member 8860 may be stored in a memory contained within, for example, the electronic system of the trolley 8100 (substantially similar to the electronic system 2700 of the trolley 2100 (not shown in Figures 45-47)).

[0160]

[1212] The imaging device 8725 of the optical tracking system 8720 can be any suitable imaging device. For example, in some embodiments, the imaging device 8725 can be a camera and / or similar device capable of taking separate photographs and / or continuously recording a video stream. The imaging device 8725 is coupled to the trolley 8100 and maintained in a fixed position relative to it. Although not shown in Figures 45-47, the imaging device 8725 is operably coupled to the electronic system of the trolley 8100. Thus, the imaging device 8725 may be configured to send signals representing data related to the captured image and / or video stream, and upon reception, the electronic system can store that data, for example, in memory and / or similar device. Furthermore, the electronic system's memory can store data relating to the position of the imaging device 8725 or a part of the imaging device 8725 (e.g., lens, aperture, focal position, charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, and / or similar) relative to the position of the trolley 8100. Thus, the electronic system of the trolley 8100, and more specifically the processor and / or module, can determine, for example, a reference coordinate system relative to the imaging device 8725 and / or a part of the trolley 8100.

[0161]

[1213] In some examples, the imaging device 8725 may be used to capture one or more images and / or video streams of the tracking member 8860 while it is in use, for example, during gait training and / or similar. For example, as shown in Figures 46 and 47, the optical tracking system 8720 may be used to determine the first position P and second position P' of the tracking member 8860, and therefore of the patient connection mechanism 8800. More specifically, in some examples, a patient (not shown) may be coupled to the patient connection mechanism 8800 (e.g., via a harness or similar as described above) to perform a gait training therapy session, thereby moving the patient connection mechanism 8800 relative to the trolley 8100 and moving the trolley 8100 along a support track (not shown in Figures 45-47). During use, the imaging device 8725 may capture one or more images and / or video streams of the tracking member 8860 to determine, for example, the first position P and second position P' of the tracking member 8860. More specifically, as shown in Figure 46, the imaging device 8725 can acquire one or more images and / or video streams and send signals representing data associated with one or more images and / or video streams to a processor and / or module (e.g., a processing module) included in the electronic system. The processor and / or module can, for example, analyze the images and calculate the image distance D of the tracking member 8860 from a reference plane R and the image size S of the tracking member 8860. Based at least in part on the calculated distance D and calculated size S, the processor and / or module can determine and / or calculate the angle A of the tether 8505, the length L of the tether 8505, and the distance H of the tracking member 8860 from the trolley 8100 (Figure 47), thereby determining the first position P of the tracking member 8860 and the patient connection mechanism 8800. Similarly, as the patient moves from the first position P, the imaging device 8725 can acquire one or more images and / or video streams and send signals representing data associated with the new images and / or video streams to the processor and / or module.Accordingly, the processor and / or module can, for example, analyze an image and calculate a second distance D' of the image of the tracking member 8860' from a reference plane R and a second size S' of the image of the tracking member 8860'. Based at least in part on the calculated second distance D' and the calculated second size S', the processor and / or module can determine and / or calculate a second angle A' of the tether 8505', a second length L' of the tether 8505', and a second distance H' of the tracking member 8860' from the trolley 8100 (Figure 47), thereby determining the second position P' of the tracking member 8860' and the patient connection mechanism 8800'.

[0162]

[1214] Trolley 2100 is described above as including encoder 2470 of drive system 2300, encoder 2561 of guide mechanism 2540, and encoder 2587 of cam assembly 2570, which are used collectively to determine one or more system parameters (e.g., position, velocity, acceleration, etc.), and trolley 8100 is described above as including optical tracking system 8720 to determine one or more system parameters, but in other embodiments, trolley and / or support system may use any suitable combination of encoder system and optical tracking system. For example, in some embodiments, trolley may use data from any number of encoders (e.g., of drive system, guide mechanism, and / or cam assembly) and optical tracking system. It is possible.

[0163]

[1215] While trolleys 2100 and 8100 are described above as including an electronic system (e.g., electronic system 2700) that actively controls the operating conditions of trolleys 2100 and 8100 to support at least a portion of the patient's weight, in some embodiments, the trolley may include an electronic system that, in addition to controlling the operating conditions of the trolley, can determine one or more characteristics related to the patient's gait in use. For example, trolleys such as trolleys 2100 and / or 8100 may include a set of encoders, sensors, and / or similar that can determine a set of operating conditions related to the position of the trolley. Specifically, in some embodiments, the trolley may include a drive system similar to the drive system 2300 in Figures 12 to 26, a patient support mechanism similar to the patient support mechanism 2500 in Figures 27 to 33, and an electronic system similar to the electronic system 2700 in Figures 10 and 11, which may be used collectively to determine a set of operating conditions related to the trolley. The electronic system can determine one or more characteristics related to the patient's gait during use, based on a set of operating conditions.

[0164]

[1216] For example, in some embodiments, the patient support mechanism may include, among other things, a winch assembly, a guide mechanism, and a cam assembly coupled to a tether. The winch assembly may have an encoder (e.g., similar to encoder 2537), the guide mechanism may have an encoder (e.g., similar to encoder 2561), and the cam assembly may have an encoder (e.g., similar to encoder 2587). Similarly, the drive system may have an encoder (e.g., similar to encoder 2470). The electronic system may include at least a processor and memory configured to receive one or more signals from the encoders of the drive mechanism and the patient support mechanism. In some embodiments, the electronic system may also include an imaging device (e.g., similar to imaging device 8725 in Figures 46 and 47) configured to capture an image or video stream of a tracking member (e.g., similar to tracking member 8860).

[0165]

[1217] As described in detail above, when a patient using the patient support system begins to walk, the drive mechanism can move the trolley along the support track in response to his or her movement. The encoder of the drive mechanism can sense one or more characteristics related to the operation of the drive mechanism. For example, the encoder can sense the position of the drive mechanism relative to the support track, the translational speed of the drive mechanism along the support track, the translational acceleration of the drive mechanism along the support track, the rotational speed of one or more wheels, the rotational acceleration of one or more wheels, the angular orientation of one or more wheels, the speed and / or direction of the motor, the voltage related to at least a part of the motor, and / or similar. Then, as described in detail above with reference to trolley 2100, the encoder can send signals related to one or more characteristics of the drive mechanism to an electronic system, which in turn can cause a processor to determine and / or update the operating conditions of the drive mechanism, at least in part on changes in one or more characteristics of the drive mechanism relative to previously defined operating conditions of the drive mechanism (e.g., stored in memory or similar).

[0166]

[1218] Similarly, in response to the patient's walking, encoders of the winch assembly, guide mechanism, and / or cam assembly (and, if included, the encoders of the imaging device) can sense and / or determine one or more characteristics related to the operation of the patient support mechanism. For example, in some cases, the patient may walk faster than the trolley, thereby changing the angle of the tether and guide mechanism relative to the trolley. The encoder of the guide mechanism can sense the angular deflection of the guide mechanism and send a signal related to the angle of the guide mechanism to the electronic system. Upon reception, the electronic system can process The sesser can be made to determine and / or update the operating conditions of the guidance mechanism.

[0167]

[1219] In some cases, patient movement may increase the length of a portion of the tether, for example. Thus, a portion of the tether may unwind from the drum or similar object contained within the winch assembly. More specifically, at least a portion of the force the patient exerts on the tether may rotate the drum or similar object, which may result in the tether unwinding (i.e., an increase in the length of a portion of the tether between the patient and the winch assembly). The encoder in the winch assembly may sense one or more characteristics related to the operation of the winch assembly. For example, the encoder may sense the angular position of the drum, the rotational speed of the drum, the acceleration of the drum, the speed and / or direction of the motor contained within the winch assembly, the voltage associated with at least a portion of the motor in the winch assembly, and / or similar. Subsequently, as described in detail above with reference to trolley 2100, the encoder can send a signal to an electronic system relating to one or more characteristics of the winch assembly, which in turn can cause a processor to determine and / or update the operating conditions of the winch assembly, at least in part on a change in one or more characteristics of the winch assembly relative to previously defined operating conditions of the winch assembly (e.g., stored in memory or similar). In some examples, the processor can determine the length of a portion of a tether placed between the patient and the winch assembly, at least in part on the updated operating conditions of the winch assembly. In some embodiments, the tether may be coupled to a load cell or similar configured to sense the force that the patient exerts on the tether (e.g., by measuring stress, tension, strain, and / or similar along and / or within a portion of the tether). The load cell may be configured to send a signal to an electronic system relating to the load (e.g., force) acting on the tether, which can cause a processor to determine the force that the patient exerts.

[0168]

[1220] In some cases, the amount of force a patient exerts on the tether may increase or decrease substantially abruptly. For example, when a patient stumbles, the amount of force acting on the tether increases relatively abruptly. In such cases, the increase in force acting on the tether may cause the guide mechanism to pivot and / or increase the length of a portion of the tether (as described above), while simultaneously rotating the cam and / or cam arm contained within the cam assembly (as described, for example, with reference to cam mechanism 2570 in Figures 32 and 33). In other words, at least a portion of the cam assembly may be configured to rotate in response to the relatively high-speed movement and / or deflection of the tether. Encoders in the cam assembly may sense one or more characteristics related to the movement of the cam and / or cam arm, such as position, velocity, acceleration, jerk, orientation, alignment, force, and / or similar. Subsequently, as described above with reference to trolley 2100, the encoder of the cam assembly can send a signal to an electronic system relating to one or more characteristics of the cam assembly, which in turn can cause a processor to determine and / or update the operating conditions of the cam assembly, at least in part, based on a change in one or more characteristics of the cam assembly relative to previously defined operating conditions of the cam assembly (e.g., stored in memory).

[0169]

[1221] By defining, determining, and / or updating the operating conditions of one or more of the drive mechanism and / or patient support mechanism, an electronic system (e.g., at least the processor of the electronic system) can actively control the trolley to support at least a portion of the weight of the patient using the patient support system. As described above, in some examples, the magnitude of the change in the operating conditions of the drive system and / or patient support mechanism is at least partially based on proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. In such examples, the electronic system (e.g., the processor or any device communicating with the processor) can control the trolley. Other electronic systems) can determine changes in the patient support mechanism and model the changes based on PID control. Based on the results of the modeling, the processor can determine the appropriate magnitude of the changes in the operating conditions of the drive system and / or the patient support mechanism.

[0170]

[1222] For example, FIG. 48 is a schematic diagram showing a control diagram according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the electronic system (described above) can be configured to control the drive system and / or the patient support mechanism based at least in part on the tension in and / or along a portion of the tether. Specifically, a nurse, technician, therapist, physician, internist, etc. can define a predetermined value related to the target tether tension T * , M ( For example, the commanded tether tension). The commanded tether tension T * is stored in the memory, for example, and the processor of the electronic system can determine the actual tension T in and / or along a portion of the tether and compare it with the commanded tether tension T * to determine the tension error. In some examples, the processor can then perform a derivative control operation 101 on the tension error, and the output of the derivative control operation 101 can be, for example, a motor speed command ω related to the motor and drive dynamics 102 included in the drive system and / or the patient support mechanism to determine M * and can be added to one or more proportional control operation outputs (described in more detail below).

[0171]

[1223] As shown in FIG. 48, the proportional control operation 103 can be performed on the value related to the actual motor speed ω M of the motor included in the drive system and / or the patient support mechanism. Further, the actual motor speed ω can be related to, for example, the cam assembly of the patient support mechanism M and To control the spring mechanism dynamics 104, it can be evaluated with the value Z associated with the downward movement of the tether (e.g., in response to the force exerted by the patient). As a result, the processor can determine (1) an updated value of the actual tension T in and / or along a portion of the tether and (2) the cam unloading rotational speed ω C and can be defined. The equivalent motor speed can be determined by evaluating the rotational speed associated with a portion of the cam and the rotational speed associated with, for example, the drum of the winch assembly (represented by reference numeral 105 in FIG. 48). A proportional control operation 106 can be performed on the equivalent motor speed, and its output can then be added to the output of the proportional control operation 103. As described above, the sum of the proportional control operations 103 and 106 can be added to the output of the derivative control operation 101 to define the motor speed command ω M * Accordingly, in this embodiment, as described above, the electronic system (e.g., or at least the processor included therein) can control the trolley in response to the patient's movement based at least in part on a PID control feedback loop and / or the like.

[0172]

[1224] In some cases, an electronic system can determine one or more characteristics related to a patient's walking, at least in part based on the operating conditions and / or changes in the operating conditions of a drive mechanism and / or a patient support mechanism. For example, FIG. 49 is a graph 200 showing the displacement of a patient's center of mass according to one embodiment. As shown, the patient's center of mass shifts during the walking cycle (e.g., up to about 5 centimeters (cm)), and this shift results in a shift and / or change in the force exerted on the tether when the patient uses the patient support system. For example, the patient's center of mass may be at its lowest point (i.e., closest to the surface on which the patient is walking) at about 5% and about 55% of the walking cycle, which corresponds to the end of the swing phase of the walking cycle. The patient's center of mass may be at its highest point (i.e., farthest from the surface on which the patient is walking) at about 30% and about 80% of the walking cycle, which corresponds to the patient's center of mass passing over the leg that is supporting his or her weight. Similarly, the patient's center of mass may shift laterally during the walking cycle, as shown in FIG. 49. With at least a portion of the patient's weight being supported by the patient support mechanism, the shift in the patient's center of mass results in a corresponding shift and / or change in the force exerted by the patient's weight on the tether. Thus, based on one or more operating conditions related to the drive system and / or the patient support mechanism, a processor can determine a set of characteristics related to the patient's walking.

[0173]

[1225] For example, FIGS. 50-53 are graphs showing the operating conditions related to a patient support mechanism in response to a patient's movement. In this example, the operating conditions related to the patient support mechanism are related to the tether position and the cam angle of a cam included within a cam assembly, and these can be used to determine one or more characteristics related to the patient's walking. More specifically, a processor of the electronic system can determine the tether position based on signals received from one or more encoders (e.g., a winch assembly, an encoder of a guide member, and / or any other suitable encoder), and can determine the cam angle, for example, based on an encoder of the cam assembly.

[0174]

[1226] As shown in Figure 50, the tether position and cam angle are graphed in response to the relatively slow movement of a normal or healthy patient's gait. Specifically, Graph 301 shows the partial tether positions in response to the patient's gait, with or without taking into account the cam-related position; Graph 302 shows the cam angle in response to the patient's gait; Graph 303 shows the change in tether position + cam angle in response to the patient's gait; and Graph 304 shows the velocity and acceleration related to the tether in response to the patient's gait. In some cases, the partial tether positions shown in Graph 301 may change in response to relatively slow, gradual, and / or substantial changes in the patient's movement, while the cam angle shown in Graph 302 may change in response to relatively fast, sudden, and / or unexpected movement of the tether. In some cases, changes in the cam angle in response to relatively fast movement of the tether can reduce noise or similar elements that might otherwise alter the determination of the tether position, for example. As shown in Graph 303, changes in tether position and cam angle can be determined, and these can be used to determine velocity and acceleration related to the tether position, as shown in Graph 304. Furthermore, by determining the tether position, velocity, and acceleration, the processor of the electronic system can determine one or more characteristics related to the patient's gait. For example, in some cases, the gait of a healthy patient may have and / or be defined as having substantially symmetrical characteristics when comparing the movement of the patient's left leg with the movement of the patient's right leg. Thus, by determining the tether position, velocity, and acceleration, the processor can determine gait characteristics such as, for example, the number of steps, distance traveled, stride length, velocity, the difference between gait characteristics related to the left and right legs, and / or any other appropriate characteristics.

[0175]

[1227] Similarly, Figure 51 shows graphs illustrating tether position and cam angle in response to relatively fast gait in a normal or healthy patient. Specifically, Graph 401 shows some tether positions in response to the patient's gait, with or without considering the cam-related position; Graph 402 shows the cam angle in response to the patient's gait; Graph 403 shows the change in tether position + cam angle in response to the patient's gait; and Graph 404 shows the velocity and acceleration associated with the tether in response to the patient's gait. As can be seen from Figures 50 and 51, the velocity associated with the patient's movement can result in different responses of tether position and cam angle. Therefore, the processor of the electronic system can determine any appropriate gait characteristic associated with the patient's relatively fast gait, which may differ from the corresponding gait characteristic associated with the patient's relatively slow gait.

[0176]

[1228] The graphs in Figures 50 and 51 show the relative tether position and cam angle for a normal or healthy patient's gait, while Figures 52 and 53 show the relative tether position and cam angle for a disabled patient's gait, specifically for a disabled patient's gait that results in dragging one leg. For example, in Figure 52, graph 501 shows some tether positions with and without taking into account the relative cam position to the disabled patient's gait, graph 502 shows the relative cam angle to the disabled patient's gait, and graph 503 shows the variation in the relative tether position to the disabled patient's gait. Graph 404 shows the velocity and acceleration related to the tether relative to the gait of a disabled patient, and similarly in Figure 53, graph 601 shows some tether positions with and without taking into account the position relative to the cam relative to the circumflex movement of the disabled patient's gait, graph 602 shows the cam angle relative to the circumflex movement of the disabled patient's gait, graph 603 shows the change in tether position + cam angle relative to the circumflex movement of the disabled patient's gait, and graph 604 shows the velocity and acceleration related to the tether relative to the circumflex movement of the disabled patient's gait.

[0177]

[1229] As can be seen from Figures 52 and 53, a disability that causes a patient to drag one leg while walking results in a relatively less consistent, unexpected, and / or otherwise more irregular tether position and cam angle response compared to the tether position and cam angle response resulting from the gait of a non-disabled patient. In some cases, the tether position, velocity, and / or acceleration resulting from the gait of a disabled patient can be compared to the tether position, velocity, and / or acceleration resulting from the gait of a non-disabled patient. Thus, the processor of an electronic system can determine, predict, and / or otherwise analyze the gait characteristics of a disabled patient, which can be used to define treatment prescription plans, treatment progress reports, diagnostic methods, and / or similar.

[0178]

[1230] In some cases, a patient support system (and / or any of the patient support systems described herein) may be used in connection with any other suitable device configured to determine, supply, and / or define characteristics related to a patient's gait. In some cases, the analysis of one or more operating conditions of a drive mechanism and / or patient support mechanism may be used in connection with the analysis of data related to an electrical stimulator configured to improve the gait of a patient with a disability, for example. For example, a patient support system may be used to support a patient wearing an electrical stimulator configured to facilitate the gait of a patient experiencing foot drop or similar, such as the one described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014 / 0303705, filed April 4, 2014, “Orthosis for a Gait Modulation System,” whose entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. As shown in Figure 54, the electrical stimulator can define one or more operating conditions related to the electrical stimulator and / or the gait of a patient with a disability. For example, as shown in Figure 54, the electrical stimulator can sense and / or determine pressure associated with forward or backward movement, lateral movement, overall movement (e.g., a combination of lateral movement and forward or backward movement), and / or heel-on or heel-off events. In this example, graph 701 shows the acceleration associated with the operation of the electrical stimulator, graph 702 shows the velocity associated with the operation of the electrical stimulator, graph 703 shows the rotation associated with the operation of the electrical stimulator, and graph 704 shows the angle associated with the operation of the electrical stimulator.

[0179]

[1231] In some embodiments, the electrical stimulator can send signals related to one or more of its operating conditions to the electronic system of the patient support system. Thus, the processor can determine one or more gait characteristics of the disabled patient based on the data received from the drive system and / or patient support mechanism and the electrical stimulator. For example, Figure 55 shows a graphical representation of a set of patient gait characteristics (as described in detail above) determined at least in part based on data related to the patient support system and the electrical stimulator. Specifically, Graph 801 shows the duration of the swing leg and ground contact during the patient's walk, Graph 802 shows the swing-to-ground contact ratio of the patient's walk, Graph 803 shows the gait of the patient's walk, Graph 804 shows the anterior range of motion (ROM) and lateral ROM related to one or both of the patient's legs, Graph 805 shows the anterior-to-lateral ratio related to one or both of the patient's legs, and Graph 806 shows the stride length and height of the patient's walk. Thus, the patient support system and any other Operating conditions associated with an appropriate device may be used to determine one or more characteristics of the patient's gait. Furthermore, the electronic system may be configured to send signals indicating commands to output data related to one or more characteristics of the patient's gait to any appropriate output device (e.g., monitor, laptop, personal computer, handheld controller, smartphone, and / or similar).

[0180]

[1232] As described above, either the patient support system and / or partial weight-bearing relief system described herein can be used to facilitate, and / or otherwise facilitate, the analysis of a patient's gait while using the system. For example, in some embodiments, the patient support system may be used with an electronic device (e.g., a personal computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, controller, remote display, workstation, server, and / or similar) to determine data related to the patient's gait and to represent that data graphically and / or alphanumerically on a display. The patient support system may include a trolley tracking and dynamic weight-bearing engine, module, processor, computer device, and other components to determine, for example, trolley speed, distance traveled, tether length, cam angle, weight-bearing relief, elapsed time, and / or any other suitable set of data.

[0181]

[1233] Furthermore, when a patient support system, such as those described herein, is used in conjunction with, for example, an electrical stimulation system or any other suitable electrical and / or electronic data acquisition system, the patient support system may be configured to receive and / or transmit signals from such electrical or electronic system to, for example, heel strike events or heel lift events and / or other gait phases. Thus, in some examples, the patient support systems described herein can calculate and / or determine step duration, step length, walking speed, gait pattern symmetry level (left / right), and / or any other suitable gait characteristics. Furthermore, the patient support systems described herein can send one or more signals (e.g., via wired or wireless communication) to, for example, an electronic device, causing the calculated and / or determined gait characteristics to be displayed on a display as a graph, numerical, and / or alphanumeric representation. In other examples, the patient support system can send data related to one or more operating conditions of the patient support system to an electronic device. In such examples, the electronic device can calculate and / or define gait characteristics based at least in part on the data received from the patient support system. Furthermore, the electrical stimulator can transmit data related to the patient's gait to an electronic device substantially simultaneously with the patient support system. In another example, the electrical stimulator can transmit data related to the patient's gait to the patient support system, and the patient support system (e.g., a processor, module, or computing device contained therein) can aggregate the data related to the patient support system and the data related to the electrical stimulator, and transmit the aggregated data set to an electronic device.

[0182]

[1234] In some embodiments, the patient support system and / or electronic devices communicating with it may include a memory and / or at least one module for storing data related to one or more predetermined exercises, routines, tests, and / or similar items. For example, the memory and / or module may include data related to a set of exercises for analyzing the patient's current and / or previous gait tests or gait analyses in order to track the patient's walking ability and help improve it. In some examples, the patient support system and / or electronic devices communicating with it may graphically represent the data related to exercises, routines, tests, and / or similar items.

[0183]

[1235] For example, Figure 56 is a screenshot 901 showing a graphical representation of data related to asymmetrical motion. Screenshot 901 of asymmetrical motion shows the patient's vertical asymmetry ( This visually indicates the tilt (greater tilt on one side than on the other) and his or her horizontal asymmetry (difference in step duration). As illustrated, symmetry may be displayed in a positional symmetry bar graph and radio dial, which may be supplemented by a real-time graph showing, for example, a history of changing tether position and walking speed. During and after the asymmetry examination, the patient support system and / or electronic device may send signals or commands so that data related to average walking speed, minimum walking speed, and / or maximum walking speed, vertical symmetry and / or horizontal symmetry, and / or analogous data are graphically represented on the display.

[0184]

[1236] As another example, Figure 57 is a screenshot 902 showing a graphical representation of data related to a timed-up-and-go (TUG) exercise. Screenshot 902 of the TUG exercise can graphically represent data defined by the patient support system and / or electronic device related to the time it takes for the patient to stand up from a seated position, walk a predetermined distance, and sit down. During and after the TUG exercise, the patient support system and / or electronic device can send signals or commands so that data related to the average speed, minimum speed, and / or maximum speed during the TUG training exercise is graphically represented on the display. Furthermore, the patient support system and / or electronic device can graphically represent data on the display such as the history of the standing, walking, and sitting processes, the tether position (included within the patient support mechanism of the patient support system as described in detail above), and / or time duration, as well as a real-time graph showing the walking speed during the exercise. Based at least in part on the time duration, a fall risk (e.g., high or low) can be determined for the patient. Furthermore, data related to the TUG exercise can be compared with historical data from the patient's previous TUG exercises (e.g., stored in memory), which allows clinicians or therapists to maintain the patient's gait improvement.

[0185]

[1237] As another example, Figure 58 is a screenshot 903 showing a graphical representation of data related to timed-distance exercise. For example, a user (e.g., a clinician and / or patient) can select either a fixed distance (e.g., 10 meters) or a fixed time (e.g., 2 minutes). The patient then walks that distance or for that time, and the patient support system and / or electronic device can determine and / or define the patient's performance. With respect to a fixed distance, timed-distance exercise can determine walking speed and duration. With respect to a fixed time, timed-distance exercise can determine total distance traveled and / or walking speed. The patient support system and / or electronic device can graphically represent data such as distance traveled and walking speed, average walking speed, minimum walking speed, and / or maximum walking speed, and / or similar data in real-time graphs on a display.

[0186]

[1238] As described above, all data related to exercise, routines, tests, and other activities can be stored, for example, in memory, replayed for post-exercise analysis, and / or presented in other forms. Furthermore, data related to any given exercise can be stored as a baseline and thus used to compare against future exercises to show improvements in the patient's gait. In some examples, reports may be defined (e.g., by a patient support system and / or electronic device) and graphically represented on a display to provide details of a given exercise, including walking speed, distance, time, stand-up time, sit-down time, gait, symmetry index, or analogues, as well as Perry Ambulatory Category, Functional Ambulation Category, and / or fall risk.

[0187]

[1239] A patient support mechanism and / or an electronic device (or a processor, module, computing device, etc. included therein) can be configured to perform an exercise, routine, examination, or the like based on data related to, for example, a tether position, a cam angle, a walking speed, a motor speed, a heel strike event or a heel off event (and / or other gait phases), and / or the like. In some examples, the patient support mechanism and / or the electronic device can determine a change in the position of a tether (i.e., included within the patient support mechanism as described in detail above) between two heel events to, for example, determine the vertical symmetry of a patient's gait. In some examples, the data can be based on both a linear tether position and / or a cam angle (e.g., a line segment graph) and its derivative (e.g., slope or rate of change) of the tether position and / or cam angle (converted to a linear length) to determine a gait pattern and / or gait characteristics.

[0188]

[1240] Based on the determined gait pattern, the patient support mechanism and / or the electronic device can determine peaks and / or valleys related to gait events that can be graphically represented as a line segment graph or a derivative graph. In some examples, the patient support mechanism and / or the electronic device can use midpoint logic (e.g., remove a graph offset or the like) to normalize, for example, a line segment graph and / or a derivative graph. In some examples, the peaks and valleys of the graph (e.g., minima and / or maxima of the data) can be used to determine a heel strike event or a heel off event. Based on different predetermined gait patterns (e.g., a first category related to a normal walker and a second category related to a diseased walker), the peaks and valleys can be differently defined and / or determined. For example, for a normal walker, a valley (the locally shortest tether position) can be near the midstance (double support) of the gait. Conversely, for a diseased walker, the valley can be during a step.

[0189]

[1241] After the peaks and valleys are associated with their respective heel strike or heel lift events, the difference between the tether position of the previous step and the tether position of the current step may be determined to define the change in tether position (e.g., to determine the vertical symmetry difference between the right and left steps or the difference between two subsequent steps). The elapsed time of the previous step and the elapsed time of the current step may also be determined to define the change in step duration (e.g., to determine horizontal symmetry).

[0190]

[1242] While the patient support system is described above as using one or more operating conditions to determine gait patterns and / or gait characteristics, in other examples, one or more operating conditions of the patient support system may be used to determine the current level or amount of partial support relative to a predetermined level or amount of partial support. In some embodiments, the patient support system ("support system") may be programmed and / or set to provide a predetermined amount of partial support (or provide partial support in a predetermined form and / or pre-programmed form) based on characteristics related to the tether. For example, in some embodiments, the support system may be configured and / or programmed to provide support to the patient after a predetermined extension and / or predefined extension of the tether (e.g., in response to a patient fall or partial fall). In other words, the support system may be configured and / or programmed to support at least a portion of the patient's weight after the patient has fallen beyond a predetermined threshold.

[0191]

[1243] For example, Figures 59 and 60 are screenshots 904 and 904A, respectively, showing graphical representations of data related to a support system, more specifically, a “fall prevention” configuration, setting, interface, and / or similar. As described above, in some examples, the support system may be configured to provide support for at least a portion of the patient’s weight based on the extension of a tether in response to the patient falling or beginning to fall. In several embodiments, for example, a support system and / or an electronic assembly contained therein may be configured to determine, define, and / or calculate the initial length of the tether (e.g., when the patient and / or user are stationary and / or not in the process of falling). When the patient and / or user begins walking, the electronic assembly may receive data related to the current tether length from one or more sensors, encoders, and / or similar devices. In some examples, the patient, user, therapist, and / or trainer may set a fall limit (e.g., a criterion or threshold) corresponding to the threshold amount by which the tether length can be increased before the support system provides support to the patient. In other words, the user, therapist, trainer, etc., may set a fall tolerance range and / or maximum distance over which the user can fall before the support system provides support.

[0192]

[1244] As shown in Figures 59 and 60, in some embodiments, the default fall limit and / or tether extension threshold can be, for example, about 4 inches. After the tether length has been increased beyond the threshold (e.g., after the patient and / or user descends (falls) beyond the fall limit), the support system can transition to a support configuration (e.g., support configuration or fall prevention configuration) in which the tether can be locked and / or the tracking system or drive system can be deactivated. In some examples, the patient, user, and / or clinician can adjust the fall limit and / or threshold by engaging with a graphical interface, for example, shown in screenshot 904A of Figure 60 (e.g., by pressing one or more on-screen buttons and / or by selecting a given fall limit, threshold, and / or judgment criteria in other ways). As illustrated, the values, limits, and / or thresholds to be adjusted can be presented on the graphical interface (e.g., in text or via one or more images).

[0193]

[1245] In some embodiments, for example, the fall limit and / or threshold may be between approximately 1.0 inch and approximately 36.0 inches. In such embodiments, setting the fall limit to 1.0 inch may cause the support system to provide the highest level of support (e.g., allowing a minimum amount of fall before beginning to support the patient), and setting the fall limit to 36.0 inches may cause the support system to provide the lowest level of support (e.g., allowing a maximum amount of fall before beginning to support the patient). In some embodiments, the fall limit and / or threshold may be adjusted in increments of approximately 1.0 inch. In other embodiments, the adjustment increment may be greater than or less than 1.0 inch. In some examples, the fall limit and / or threshold may be adjusted and / or changed while the support system is in use or during use. Furthermore, in some examples, the support system and / or electronic assembly may be configured to calculate and / or determine, for example, the height of the patient connection mechanism, and the height-related data may be represented graphically on a display. For example, as shown in Figures 59 and 60, the heights of the tether, patient, and / or patient connection mechanism can be graphically represented on a bar graph or analogue relative to the fall limit and / or threshold, which can enable a substantially real-time visualization of user performance or analogue.

[0194]

[1246] In some embodiments, an administrator or user can program and / or set an initial tether length or similar corresponding to a predetermined and / or desired height of the patient connection mechanism (e.g., the patient connection mechanism 2800 described above with reference to Figure 34). More specifically, the user or administrator can input and / or supply patient information, such as height and weight. Based on the user's height, the support system may be configured to calculate a predetermined and / or desired height or position (e.g., in the y-direction) of the patient connection mechanism when connected to the tether and harness worn by the user. In this form, the predetermined The and / or desired position (e.g., neutral position or “zero point”) can be, for example, a reference point or analogue to which the current position of the patient connection mechanism can be compared. For example, if the patient connection mechanism is higher than the zero point, the level or amount of support may be reduced (e.g., to reduce the amount of tether tension and / or to otherwise allow more “slack” in the tether) and / or the patient support system may be reset to define a new zero point. Conversely, if the patient connection mechanism is lower than the zero point, the level or amount of support may be increased (e.g., to increase the amount of tether tension and / or to otherwise reduce the amount of tether slack).

[0195]

[1247] In some cases, the support system may be configured to adjust and / or update the zero point during use. For example, in some cases, an assessment of the amount of change in tether length (or height of the patient connection mechanism), the rate of change in tether length, and / or the total duration of the change relative to the zero point may enable the patient to walk along a surface or similar object with changes in elevation. For example, in some cases, the support system (or its electronic system) may adjust and / or update the zero point or reference point in response to a relatively low rate of change in elevation, and / or when the change in elevation spans a relatively long duration of time. In such cases, for example, the support system may determine that the patient is walking along a surface with changes in elevation, and therefore can dynamically or actively adjust and / or update the “zero point” or reference point. Under such conditions, the support system may be configured to adjust and / or update the zero point before the amount of change in tether length reaches and / or exceeds the tipping limit, or to adjust and / or update the zero point after the amount of change reaches and / or exceeds the tipping limit. In other examples, a support system can provide and / or transition to a support configuration in response to the amount of change in tether length reaching and / or exceeding the fall limit when the change in height is relatively high in speed and / or over a relatively short period of time. In other words, a support system can provide and / or transition to a support configuration when the support system determines that the patient is falling rather than moving along a surface with changes in height.

[0196]

[1248] While the support system is described above as including and / or implementing a fall prevention system and / or method based on distance or a portion of the length of a tether (e.g., a fall limit or fall tolerance), in other embodiments the support system may include and / or implement a fall prevention system and / or method based on any suitable characteristics and / or parameters of the support system. For example, in some examples the support system may be configured to receive actionable inputs from the user and / or clinician when placing the support system into “active body control mode”. In some examples, for example the support system and / or electronics assembly may receive actionable inputs when switching the support system from “distance” or “fall limit mode” (e.g., see Figure 60) to “active body control mode” (e.g., see Figure 61). That is, in some embodiments the processor of the electronics assembly may be configured to execute a set of instructions and / or code (e.g., stored in memory) to place the support system into “fall limit mode” or “active body control mode”.

[0197]

[1249] In some embodiments, the active body control mode may be configured to dynamically support a portion of the patient's weight based, for example, the rate of change in the length of the tether (e.g., the tether's velocity). In some examples, determining the amount of weight to be supported based on the rate of change in the length of the tether can allow for a wider range of motion than when the amount of support is based solely on the length of the tether. Furthermore, as described above with reference to the “distance” mode, the support system may be configured to evaluate the duration of the velocity change in order to improve and / or adjust the response of the support system.

[0198]

[1250] As shown in Figure 61, in some embodiments, the support system may be programmed and / or set to provide a “minimum” level of support (configured to provide the lowest level of fall prevention), a “medium” level of support (configured to provide a moderate or medium level of fall prevention, higher than the minimum level), or a “maximum” level of support (configured to provide the highest level of fall prevention, higher than the medium level). In other embodiments, the support system may be configured to provide more than three levels of support (e.g., four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more levels of support).

[0199]

[1251] As described above, the level of support can be based on the rate of change in tether length over a given period of time. That is, the level of support can be a function of the rate of change in tether length (or height of the patient connection mechanism) and the overall duration (time) of the change in tether length. In some examples, the patient support system may be configured to determine the rate of change in tether length based on operating conditions related to, for example, a cam assembly and / or winch assembly. In some examples, a relatively high rate of change in tether length (determined by the operating conditions of the cam assembly, winch assembly and / or any other suitable part of the support system) may indicate a patient fall, and thus the support system may result in updating one or more operating conditions of the support system (e.g., trolley) to actively support part of the patient's weight.

[0200]

[1252] In some examples, setting a fall prevention system and / or fall prevention method to the "maximum" amount of support may cause the support system to provide support in response to a relatively low rate of change in tether length (e.g., a relatively low rate criterion and / or threshold). In some examples, setting a fall prevention system and / or fall prevention method to the "moderate" amount of support may cause the support system to provide support in response to a rate of change in tether length that is higher than the rate of change when the system is set to the "maximum" amount of support. In other examples, setting a fall prevention system and / or fall prevention method to the "minimum" amount of support may cause the support system to provide support in response to a rate of change in tether length that is higher than the rate of change when the system is set to the "moderate" amount of support. Furthermore, by evaluating and / or determining the duration of the change in tether length, the support system may be configured to determine, for example, whether the rate of change in tether length is a result of the user changing their walking or running speed, the user standing up from a seated position, the user falling, or something else.

[0201]

[1253] In some cases, the level of fall prevention and / or support may be based at least in part on the duration of the rate of change. For example, in some cases, the support system may be configured to determine the duration of the tether length change when the rate of change of the tether length reaches and / or exceeds a predetermined threshold. In some cases, setting the fall prevention system to the "maximum" support level may be such that the tolerance and / or threshold associated with the duration is smaller than the tolerance and / or threshold associated with the duration when the fall prevention system is set to the "minimum" support level. Thus, the support system may be configured to provide support and / or transition to a support configuration in response to an increase in the rate of change of the tether length (or height of the patient connection mechanism) over a predetermined duration.

[0202]

[1254] In some embodiments, the support system responds to a predetermined program and / or metric (e.g., a timed-up-and-go test, a sit-to-stand test, a predetermined minimum walking speed, a predetermined number of falls within a given time). The support level may be configured to update based on the patient's and / or user's performance. The support level may be manually updated by the therapist, administrator, and / or user. In other examples, the user or administrator may define a set of criteria or analogues (e.g., the number of falls) such that, if these criteria or analogues are met, the support system automatically updates the amount of support (e.g., increases or decreases the amount or level of support). Furthermore, in some examples, the support system and / or fall prevention system may have a default mode or analogue associated with each test. For example, in some examples, it may be desirable to automatically place the fall prevention system in "active body control" mode so that the support is based on the rate of change of the tether length rather than "distance" mode.

[0203]

[1255] In some embodiments, the support system may be configured to “reset” the system after a fall or similar event in order to position the patient connection mechanism at a zero point. For example, in some examples, the support system and / or fall prevention system may include and / or perform “automatic recovery,” as shown by screenshot 905 of Figure 63. In such examples, the system may be configured to reset to default settings and / or previous settings (e.g., predetermined and / or default tether lengths) after the user falls. Furthermore, in some examples, the support system may provide support when the user recovers (e.g., stands up) after a fall or similar event.

[0204]

[1256] While the fall prevention system is described above as being based on the amount of change in tether length, the rate of change in tether length, and the duration of change in tether length, in other examples, the fall prevention system may be disabled, paused, switched off, and so on. For example, referring back to Figure 62, screenshot 904C shows the fall prevention system in “disabled” mode. In such examples, it may be desirable to place the fall prevention system in “disabled” mode, for example, when performing pre-walking activities and / or pre-use activities.

[0205]

[1257] As described in detail above, the support system and / or trolley may be configured to adjust one or more system parameters and / or operating conditions so that the trolley is maintained substantially above the head of the user or patient. In some examples, the trolley drive system may be configured to move the trolley along the support track to maintain the trolley substantially above the head of the user or patient, based on, for example, the angle of a tether or a guide mechanism (e.g., guide mechanism 2540). In some embodiments, the support system may also take into account patient movement in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the support track; that is, the support system may be configured to take into account lateral patient movement and / or sway during walking.

[0206]

[1258] In some embodiments, the trolley and / or at least a part thereof may be configured to move laterally in addition to moving along the length of the support track. For example, in some embodiments, the trolley and / or guide mechanism may have one or more slides, suspension members, and / or similar configured to allow the trolley and / or guide mechanism to move laterally (when the trolley is moving along the axis of the support track or when the trolley is in a stationary position along the axis of the support track). In this form, the trolley or a part thereof may be able to move with two degrees of freedom (e.g., at an angle of 90° or extending substantially perpendicularly from the trolley) to maintain the tether in a substantially overhead position of the patient and / or patient connection mechanism.

[0207]

[1259] In other embodiments, the trolley and / or part thereof may have one or more sensors, encoders, etc. configured to sense and / or determine the amount of left-right movement (lateral movement). This may include gyroscopes, etc. For example, in some cases, the guiding mechanism or similar may be configured to pivot around two axes and may include one or more sensors, gyroscopes, encoders, etc., configured to sense and / or determine the pivot position, velocity, and / or acceleration around each axis. In other words, the guiding mechanism may enable forward and backward movement (pivot rotation) and left and right movement (pivot rotation) and may include and / or operably coupled one or more sensors or similar (e.g., a two-degree-of-freedom sensor or similar) configured to sense and / or detect movement in each direction. Thus, the angular position, angular velocity, and / or angular acceleration of the tether and / or guiding mechanism in each direction may be determined and / or sensed, and the data received from the sensors or similar may be used together with data from other sensors and / or encoders (described above) to determine and / or update one or more operating conditions of the patient support system.

[0208]

[1260] As described above, the support system may include any appropriate number of sensors, encoders, gyroscopes, transducers (e.g., force transducers), and / or similar devices (collectively referred to herein as “sensors”). The electronic system of the support system may receive data from the sensors and determine and / or update one or more operating conditions of the support system in order to provide a predetermined and / or desired level or amount of support for the user or patient. In some examples, the data received from the sensors may be compared to predetermined and / or standard values ​​or levels, and the error between them may be used to determine the amount of dynamic and / or active partial load relief.

[0209]

[1261] Either a patient support system or / or a partial weight-bearing support system may be used in conjunction with and / or include any other suitable device configured for use during a patient's walking or gait training. In some embodiments, such devices may be auxiliary training devices, electronic devices or computers, orthopedic or gait assistance devices, moving platforms, surfaces, or walkways (e.g., treadmills or similar), and / or any other suitable device. For example, a patient support system may include cameras, infrared emitters and receivers, visible light sources and sensors, magnetic sensors, force plates and / or pressure plates and force sensors and / or pressure sensors, and / or similar. In some embodiments, a patient support system may include, for example, a projector configured to project a graphical representation of data relating to a predetermined track or path along which the patient should walk. In some examples, such a projector may project images of stop signs, directional signs, obstacles to walk around, and so on. Furthermore, in some examples, a patient reaching a target position projected onto a surface by a projector may be associated with a value or analogue (e.g., a relatively high value) used to determine a patient performance score. Conversely, failure to avoid obstacles and / or to follow a predetermined path projected onto a surface by the projector may be associated with a value, score, and / or analogue (e.g., a relatively low value). In some examples, such a projector may project a hologram of the walking patient, as a result allowing the patient to see themselves walking from either the front or the back.

[0210]

[1262] In some embodiments, patient support systems and / or partial weight-bearing systems may be used while a user (or patient) walks along and / or moves in other ways relative to any suitable surface. In some examples, for instance, a user can walk along and / or move relative to a surface that is stationary beneath the user's feet when the user stands, walks, runs, etc. Such stationary surfaces can be, for example, floors, ground, platforms, and / or any other suitable surfaces. Furthermore, the stationary surface can be substantially flat or inclined The surface can be a gradient or a downhill slope (e.g., a set of steps, a ramp, etc.). In other examples, the user can walk along and / or move relative to a surface that is not stationary under the user's feet when the user is standing, walking, running, etc. In other words, the patient support systems and / or partial weight-bearing systems described herein can be used to support at least a portion of the user's weight when the user is moving relative to a surface (which moves under the user's feet when the user is moving, walking, running, etc.) and / or walking on that surface. The moving surface can be any surface, such as the moving surface (belt) of a treadmill, a moving balance platform, and / or similar.

[0211]

[1263] In embodiments where the support system supports the user when the user is on or moving relative to the moving surface of the treadmill, the electronic device of the patient support system can receive data relating to one or more operating conditions of the treadmill, and can use the data relating to the treadmill and the operating conditions of the patient support system to provide walking training to the user using the treadmill, define one or more walking characteristics of the user, provide analysis of data and / or information relating to walking training or one or more training sessions, and / or similar. Furthermore, the patient support system and / or any suitable electronic device may be configured to graphically represent the data and / or information relating to the treadmill, the patient support system, and / or one or more walking training sessions on the device's display.

[0212]

[1264] For example, Figures 64 to 69 are screenshots 910 to 915 showing graphical representations of data related to support systems used in conjunction with treadmills, respectively. As shown in Figures 64 to 66, patient support systems and / or electronic devices can present trolley-related data, such as operating mode, amount or level of dynamic unloading, maximum change in tether length before providing support, any appropriate session data or information (e.g., total running time, distance traveled, walking speed, number of falls or number of falls prevented, tether position, etc.), and / or any other appropriate data. In some examples, for example, patient support systems and / or electronic devices can graphically represent data similar to the data shown by screenshots 904 and 904A in Figures 59 and 60, respectively.

[0213]

[1265] In addition to data related to the trolley, the support system and / or electronic devices may be configured to graphically represent data related to the treadmill. For example, as shown in screenshots 910 (Figure 64), 911 (Figure 65), 912 (Figure 66), and 913 (Figure 67), the support system and / or electronic devices can graphically represent data and / or controls related to the treadmill. In some examples, the data graphically represented on the display can provide a user interface that allows the user to select and / or control one or more operating settings of the treadmill, such as belt speed, uphill gradient, and / or similar. In other examples, the user can, for example, initiate pairing or synchronization of the treadmill with the trolley, start, stop, or pause (including emergency stop) the operation of the treadmill, change the direction of the belt, change the uphill or downhill gradient of the belt or treadmill, and / or similar. In some examples, the support system and / or electronic device may be configured to control one or more operating conditions of the trolley based on data related to one or more operating conditions of the treadmill, and vice versa. For example, in some examples, the support system and / or electronic device may be configured to stop the treadmill (e.g., stop the movement of the belt) in response to determining that the user has fallen based on data related to one or more operating conditions of the trolley. In some cases, the trolley (and / or electronic devices communicating with the trolley) may determine that the user has fallen based at least partially on a sudden or abrupt change in the force the user exerts on the tether and / or a sudden or abrupt increase in the length of at least a portion of the tether. Thus, in some such cases, the support system, electronic devices, and / or controllers may be configured to stop or pause the treadmill's operation based on the determination that the user has fallen. Furthermore, the system may resume the trolley's operation or movement in response to the determination that the user has recovered from the fall (e.g., to a desired standing, walking, or neutral position).

[0214]

[1266] In some embodiments, the electronic device configured to graphically represent data related to the trolley and treadmill may be the same electronic device that controls both the trolley and the treadmill. In such embodiments, the electronic device may receive signals from one or more sensors, motors, controllers, etc., and may perform one or more processes on the data received via such signals. In other embodiments, the electronic device may be configured to graphically represent data and / or information related to the trolley and treadmill based on one or more signals received from the electronic device or the trolley controller, and / or based on one or more signals received from the electronic device or the treadmill controller. In other words, in some embodiments, the electronic device may be configured to receive and aggregate one or more analyzed or at least partially processed data sets from one or more components of the support system, and may graphically represent the aggregated data on a display. In other words, any of the support systems described herein may include a centralized electronic device and / or controller configured to control one or more components of the support system, or may include a decentralized or distributed network of electronic devices and / or controllers. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the support system includes a decentralized or distributed network of electronic devices and / or controllers, the support system may include at least one electronic device and / or controller configured to collect and / or aggregate data received from one or more components of the support system and to graphically represent such collected or aggregated data on a display.

[0215]

[1267] As described above, the support system and / or electronic devices communicating with it may be configured to determine and / or define one or more characteristics related to the user's gait based on data related to the support system (e.g., a trolley) and any suitable devices used with the support system (e.g., a treadmill). For example, screenshot 914 shown in Figure 68 is an example of a session summary that can provide data and / or information related to a user session or similar. Such data and / or information may include, for example, the date and time of the session, total training time, minimum, maximum, and / or average walking speed, minimum, maximum, and / or average unloading or support amount, total distance traveled, total number of falls or total number of falls prevented, and / or any other suitable data and / or information. Furthermore, the user or clinician may provide notes, information, data, and / or inputs that are associated with and / or stored together with the session data. As shown by screenshot 915 of Figure 69, the support system and / or electronic device may also be configured to define and display one or more graphs, plots, charts, etc., that represent data related to one or more user sessions. For example, as shown in Figure 69, the support system and / or electronic device may define and display graphs showing user fall profiles, user speed and distance during one or more sessions, and / or any other appropriate graphs, charts, and / or representations of data related to one or more user sessions.

[0216]

[1268] Either a patient support system or a partial weight-bearing relief system may be used with any suitable track and / or power rail, such as those described herein. In some embodiments, the patient support system may include a track and / or power rail configured to allow switching, reversing, and / or changing the direction of a trolley movably coupled thereto. For example, Figure 70 shows a first track section 9620A, a second track section 9620B, a first power rail section 9050A, and a second power rail section 9050A. In this embodiment, the first track section 9620A and the second track section 9620B are arranged perpendicular to each other. Similarly, the first power rail section 9050A and the second power rail section 9050B are arranged perpendicular to each other.

[0217]

[1269] As shown in Figure 70, the turntable 9625 includes a third track section 9620C and a third power rail section 9050C. The turntable 9625 is configured to rotate relative to the track sections 9620A and 9620B and the power rail sections 9050A and 9050B, as indicated by arrow AA. For example, in some embodiments, the turntable 9625 can be rotated manually (e.g., by a user applying force to a part of the turntable 9625 such as a handle or similar (not shown in Figure 70)). In other embodiments, the turntable 9625 may include a motor or similar (not shown in Figure 70) that can receive signals from a controller or similar and rotate the turntable 9625 based on those signals. Therefore, during use, the turntable 9625 can be rotated to a certain position relative to the track sections 9620A and 9620B and the power rail sections 9050A and 9050B in order to align the third track section 9620C with the first track section 9620A and the third power rail section 9050C with the first power rail section 9050A, as shown in Figure 70. More specifically, when the third track section 9620C is aligned with the first track section 9620A, the first track section 9620A and the third track section 9620C collectively form a substantially continuous track along which the trolley can move.

[0218]

[1270] Similarly, the first power rail section 9050A and the third power rail section 9050B can collectively form a substantially continuous power rail configured to supply power to a trolley suspended from a track collectively formed by the first track section 9620A and the third track section 9620C. Specifically, in this embodiment, the turntable 9625 may be positioned such that the first power rail section 9050A and the third power rail 9050C are in electrical communication. Thus, current can flow from a power source (not shown) along a first length of the first power rail section 9050A, along the third power rail section 9050C, and along a second length of the first power rail section 9050A. Furthermore, in some embodiments, both ends of power rail sections 9050A, 9050B, and 9050C may include a transmission section or similar (e.g., a flared end or a flanged end) that can allow a given amount of misalignment between the first power rail section 9050A or the second power rail section 9050B and the third power rail section 9050C.

[0219]

[1271] During use, a user (e.g., a patient, therapist, technician, doctor, etc.) may want to change the orientation of a trolley positioned along the length of, for example, the first track section 9620A. Therefore, the user can move the trolley from a position along the first track section 9620A to a position along the third track section 9620C. With the trolley suspended from the third track section 9620C and communicating with the third power rail section 9050C, the user can adjust the trolley so that the third track section 9620C is substantially aligned with the second track section 9620B, and the third power rail section 9050C is aligned with the second power rail section 9050B. The turntable 9625 can be rotated (for example, manually or electrically) to a position where the third track section 9620C is substantially aligned with the second track section 9620B and the third power rail section 9050C is substantially aligned with the second power rail section 9050B. The user can move the trolley from a position along the third track section 9620C to a position along the second track section 9620B. In this way, the trolley can be turned, switched, rotated, and / or otherwise reoriented. Similarly, the turntable can be rotated from a first position to a second position in order to turn, switch, rotate, and / or otherwise reoriented the trolley.

[0220]

[1272] The patient support system 2000 is described above as including a power rail 2620 configured to supply power to the trolley 2100, but in other embodiments, the patient support system may include any suitable power system. For example, Figure 71 is a schematic diagram of a partial load relief system 10000 according to one embodiment. The partial load relief system 10000 (also referred to herein as the “support system”) may be substantially similar in form and / or function to any of the support systems described herein. For example, the support system 10000 includes a trolley 10100 movably suspended from a support track 10050. The support track 10050 and the trolley 10100 may be substantially similar to the support track 2050 and trolley 2100 described above with reference to Figures 2 to 34, respectively. Thus, the support track 10050 and the trolley 10100 are not described in further detail herein.

[0221]

[1273] However, the support system 10000 may differ from the support system 2000 in the arrangement of the power system 10600. For example, the support system 2000 includes a power rail 2620 that is substantially parallel to the support track 2050 and telecommunicates with the trolley 2100 to supply power to the trolley 2100, as described above. However, in the embodiment shown in Figure 71, the power system 10600 includes a central power source and / or central power supply 10610 and a power rail 10620 configured to rotate relative to the power source 10610 in response to the movement of the trolley 10100 along the support track 10050, as indicated by arrow C in Figure 71. For example, in some embodiments, the power rail 10620 may be a telescopic power rail or similar having a length configured to extend or retract (as indicated by arrow D in Figure 71) as the trolley 10100 moves along the support track 10050. In other embodiments, the power rail 10620 may be a flexible and / or extendable cable or similar. In this form, the power rail 10620 may pivot around the power supply 10610 to provide substantially continuous power as the trolley 10100 moves along the support track 10050. Although the support track 10050 is specifically shown in Figure 71, it should be understood that the power system 10600 may be used with support tracks 10050 having any suitable shape. For example, the power system 10600 may be used with straight or flat support tracks, oval or circular support tracks, and / or support tracks having irregular shapes. That is, the rotatable and extendable arrangement of the power rail 10620 may enable the power system 10600 to be used with any suitable support track having any suitable shape.

[0222]

[1274] The power rail 10620 may include any suitable power conductors, surfaces, wires, and / or similar. For example, in some embodiments, the power rail 10620 may include one or more inner conductive surfaces similar to the power rail 2620. In other embodiments, the power rail 10620 may be a conduit or similar configured to house power cables or power lines (and / or any suitable electronic communication cables or electronic communication wires). In yet another embodiment, the power rail 10620 may be any suitable tether or similar configured to transmit and / or transmit power. Similar designs can be made. For example, Figure 72 shows a power rail 11620 according to one embodiment. In such an embodiment, the power rail 11620 is a substantially hollow tube including and / or having at least one conductive inner surface 11621. Thus, the collector 11770 and / or any other suitable conductive part of the trolley or support system can be at least partially located within the power rail 11620 to position the collector 11770 (or trolley conductor) in electrical contact with the conductive inner surface 11621 of the power rail 11620, as described in detail above with reference to the support system 2000.

[0223]

[1275] Instead, Figure 73 shows a power rail 12620 according to a different embodiment. As illustrated, the power rail 1620 is a substantially flat or otherwise unenclosed power rail 1620 having at least one substantially open or exposed conductive surface 12621. In such embodiments, the collector 12770 and / or any suitable conductive portion of the trolley or support system may be positioned adjacent to and / or otherwise located such that the collector 12770 (or the trolley's conductor) makes electrical contact with the exposed and / or otherwise usable conductive surface 12621 of the power rail 12620. In some embodiments, such arrangements may allow, for example, the power rail 12620 to be coupled to and / or integrated with a support track (not shown in Figure 73) along which the trolley travels. In other embodiments, the power rail 12620 may be offset from the support track, as described with reference to, for example, the support system 2000.

[0224]

[1276] While the power rails 2620, 10620, 11620, and / or 12620 are described above as independent of the corresponding support tracks, in other embodiments, the support tracks may include one or more conductive surfaces and / or members configured to supply power to a portion of the trolley suspended therefrom. Furthermore, while the power rails 2620, 10620, 11620, and 12620 are described above as supplying power to their respective support systems, in some embodiments, the support system may include one or more batteries, battery systems, capacitors, energy storage devices, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and / or similar configured to store power and / or supply power to one or more components or devices of the support system. For example, as described above, the support system may include a UPS electrically connected in any suitable location and / or configuration within the support system to supply a primary or backup flow of power to one or more components or devices (e.g., power supply, trolley, computing device, controller, auxiliary training device such as a treadmill, etc.). Therefore, such a UPS (or any other suitable form of energy storage device or backup device) may be configured to supply uninterrupted power to the support system and / or at least a portion thereof.

[0225]

[1277] While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented only as examples and not as limitations, and therefore various modifications in form and / or detail are possible. For example, while trolley 2100 is described above with reference to Figures 2 to 33 as having a particular shape, size, and / or configuration, it should be understood that changes in the size, shape, configuration, and / or arrangement of one or more components can be made without changing its functionality. For example, Figures 74 to 76 show trolley 12100 according to one embodiment. Trolley 12100 can be substantially similar in form and / or function to trolley 2100 described above with reference to Figures 2 to 33. For example, the trolley 2100 includes a drive system 12300 configured to movably suspend the trolley 12100 from a support track (not shown in Figures 74-76), and a support mechanism 12500 including a tether 12505 configured to connect to a harness or similar worn by the user in order to connect the user to the support mechanism 12500. In this embodiment, the drive system 12300 and the support mechanism 12 500 can be substantially similar in form and / or function to the drive system 2300 and support mechanism 2500 of the trolley 2100, respectively.

[0226]

[1278] However, the trolley 12100 shown in Figures 74 to 76 may differ from the trolley 2100 shown in Figures 2 to 33 by including a cover 12260 having a different size, shape, and / or configuration from the cover 2260 of the trolley 2100. For example, the cover 12260 defines a notch 12267 configured to receive a part of the support mechanism 12500 (e.g., a part of a cam assembly or similar) as shown in Figures 74 and 75. Furthermore, the cover 12260 defines an opening 12266 through which at least a portion of the tether 12505 can extend in order to allow the end of the tether 12505 to be coupled to a patient connection mechanism and / or a harness worn by the user and / or patient. Therefore, although the cover 12260 shown in Figures 74 to 76 differs in shape, size, and / or configuration from the cover 2260 (see, for example, Figures 4 to 9), the covers 2260 and 12260 can function substantially similarly to enclose, cover, and / or house at least a portion of the trolleys 2100 and 12100, respectively.

[0227]

[1279] As another example, the connection mechanism 2800 is described above with reference to Figure 34 as including an energy storage member 2850, but in other embodiments, the connection mechanism does not need to include an energy storage member. In such embodiments, the connection mechanism may be coupled, for example, to a trolley 2100 and further coupled to a harness or similar worn by the patient. In such embodiments, the trolley 2100 may function substantially similarly to that described above.

[0228]

[1280] The trolley 2100 is described above with reference to Figures 2 to 33 as including an electrified drive system 2300 and an active support mechanism 2500, but in other embodiments, the trolley may include either an electrified drive system or an active support mechanism. Similarly, the drive system 2300 and the support mechanism 2500 may be mutually exclusive and may function independently in a manner similar to that described above.

[0229]

[1281] Any part of the apparatus and / or method described herein may be combined in any suitable combination unless expressly stated otherwise. For example, in some embodiments, the patient support mechanism 2500 of the trolley 2100 contained within the support system 2000 may be replaced with a system similar to the support system 3900. In such embodiments, a cylinder, piston, and energy storage member may extend, for example, from the base 2210 of the housing 2200 of the trolley 2100. More specifically, the kinetic and potential energy of the energy storage member (e.g., storage member 3960) may be actively controlled via a feedback system similar to the system described above with reference to the trolley 2100. For example, the energy storage member 3960 may be compressed air, the pressure of which may be controlled in response to the force acting on the piston.

[0230]

[1282] Any of the systems and / or methods described herein may be used in any suitable manner to provide support to a user, for example, during walking training and / or similar activities. For example, Figure 77 is a flowchart showing method 10 of using a partial weight-bearing support system according to one embodiment. The partial weight-bearing support system may be similar to any of the support systems described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the support system may be substantially similar to the support system 2000 described above in detail with reference to Figures 2 to 33. Thus, the support system may include a trolley (e.g., similar to trolley 2100) or similar configured to be movably suspended from a support track. The support system may include a connecting device worn by the user or otherwise attached to the user. The system may include a patient support mechanism (similar to, for example, support mechanism 2500) having a tether configured to be coupled to a vice. Thus, coupling the tether to a connecting device allows the user to be coupled to a partial weight-bearing support system and / or at least a trolley contained therein.

[0231]

[1283] Method 10 includes defining a reference length of the tether in 11 when the tether is coupled to the connecting device and the connecting device is in its initial position. For example, as described above with reference to Figures 59 and 60, a user, therapist, trainer, etc., can input, supply, and / or define in other ways a “zero point” or reference point related to the neutral position of the connecting device, which is related to and / or corresponds to a determined or predetermined length of the tether. Furthermore, a user, therapist, trainer, etc., can supply in 12 an input, selection, command, etc., that can be operated to cause the support system to define a threshold length of the tether.

[0232]

[1284] As described in detail above, the partial load-bearing system is configured to support at least a portion of the user's weight during use (e.g., walking training). As shown in Figure 77, Method 10 includes providing a first amount of partial load-bearing during walking training when the user is moving relative to and / or on a surface (e.g., along or on a device such as a floor or ground or a treadmill) and the length of the tether is shorter than the threshold length of the tether. For example, as described above, the first amount of partial load-bearing can be the amount of support supplied to the user when the user is standing, walking, running and / or not actively falling in any other way. In some embodiments, the first amount of partial load-bearing can be, for example, zero support. That is, the tether can connect the user to the partial load-bearing system, but in some examples, the partial load-bearing system may not provide support unless the user is falling and / or the system is involved in doing so in any other way. In other embodiments, the first amount of support can be a non-zero portion of the user's weight, for example, including a portion or substantially all of the user's weight.

[0233]

[1285] In 14, during walking training, a second amount of partial load relief is provided when the user moves relative to and / or on the surface and the length of the tether is longer than the threshold length of the tether. For example, as described above, the partial load relief system may be configured to respond to, react to, and / or otherwise support the user in response to changes in the force the user applies to the tether, in response to the user moving relative to the partial load relief system, in response to the user falling, and / or similar. More specifically, in this example, the partial load relief system may be configured to provide a second amount of partial load relief in response to a change in the length of the tether (e.g., an increase) such that the length of the tether is longer than the threshold length. That is, the partial load relief system may be configured to provide a second amount of partial load relief in response to the user falling.

[0234]

[1286] Method 10 further includes, in 15, displaying data related to gait training on the display of an electronic device contained within the partial weight-bearing support system. For example, as described above with reference to Figures 50 to 69, the partial weight-bearing support system may be configured to present data in the form of graphs, charts, user interfaces, etc., which can provide the user and / or therapist or trainer with information about one or more training sessions (as described in detail above). Thus, the user, therapist, trainer, etc., can review the data to determine one or more characteristics related to the user's gait and / or his or her performance, improvements, weaknesses, strengths, etc., during gait training.

[0235]

[1287] Figure 78 shows a flowchart illustrating method 20 using a partial load relief system according to another embodiment. This is a diagram. The partial load relief system may be similar to any of the support systems described herein (for example, support system 2000, which is described in detail above with reference to Figures 2 to 33). Thus, the support system may include a trolley (for example, similar to trolley 2100) or similar configured to be movably suspended from a support track. The support system may include a patient support mechanism (for example, similar to patient support mechanism 2500) having a tether configured to be attached to a connecting device which is worn by the user or otherwise attached to the user. Thus, attaching the tether to a connecting device can attach the user to the partial load relief system and / or at least to a trolley contained therein.

[0236]

[1288] Method 20 includes defining a reference length of the tether in 21 when the tether is coupled to a connecting device and the connecting device is in its initial position. For example, as described above with reference to Figures 59 and 60, a user, therapist, trainer, etc., can input, supply, and / or define a “zero point” or reference point related to the neutral position of the connecting device, which is related to and / or corresponds to a determined or predetermined length of the tether. Furthermore, a user, therapist, trainer, etc., can supply operable inputs, selections, commands, etc., in 22 to cause the support system to define a first decision criterion related to a change in the length of the tether; in 23, they can supply operable inputs, selections, commands, etc., to cause the support system to define a second decision criterion related to a change in the length of the tether; and in 24, they can supply operable inputs, selections, commands, etc., to cause the support system to define an amount of partial load relief to be provided in response to a fall by the user during gait training. For example, in some embodiments, the first criterion may be the rate of change in the length of the tether, and the second criterion may be the duration of the change in the length of the tether. In other embodiments, the first and second criteria may be one or more arbitrary suitable criteria. The amount of weight to be supported may be any arbitrary portion of the user's weight. In some examples, for example, the amount of partial weight relief may be expressed as a percentage of the user's weight (e.g., 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, etc.). In other examples, the amount of partial weight relief may be expressed as a weight term (e.g., in pounds or kilograms).

[0237]

[1289] Method 20 includes determining in 25 whether a fall has occurred based on the satisfaction of the first and second criteria. For example, during walking training, the user may move relative to a surface and / or walk on the surface, which may result in a change in the force acting on the tether (as described in detail above). In some cases, a user falling during walking training may result in an increase in the force the user exerts on the tether, which may result in a relatively high rate of change in the length of at least a portion of the tether, which may be sufficient to satisfy the first criterion. However, in some cases, a similar rate of change in the length of the tether may result from the user's movement when they are not falling (e.g., when the user sits or stands up, bends, goes up or down a ramp, stairs, or platform, and / or similar). Therefore, in order to avoid misdefining or misjudging the occurrence of a fall, the support system may be configured such that a fall is defined and / or determined in response to the satisfaction of both a first criterion (e.g., the rate of change in the length of the tether) and a second criterion (e.g., the duration of the change in the length of the tether or the length of time required for the change in the length of the tether). Furthermore, in 26, partial load relief of that amount can be provided when the first and second criterions are satisfied.

[0238]

[1290] Figure 79 is a flowchart showing method 30 using a partial load relief system according to another embodiment. The partial load relief system can be similar to any of the support systems described herein (for example, support system 2000 described in detail above with reference to Figures 2 to 33). Thus, the support system is movably suspended from a support truck. The support system may include a trolley (e.g., similar to trolley 2100) or similar configured therein. The support system may include a patient support mechanism (e.g., similar to support mechanism 2500) having a tether configured to be attached to a connecting device that the user wears or is otherwise attached to the user. Thus, attaching the tether to a connecting device allows the user to be attached to the partial weight-bearing support system and / or at least to a trolley contained therein.

[0239]

[1291] Method 30 includes defining a reference length of the tether in 31 when the tether is coupled to a connecting device and the connecting device is in its initial position. For example, as described above with reference to Figures 59 and 60, a user, therapist, trainer, etc., can input, supply, and / or otherwise define a “zero point” or reference point related to the neutral position of the connecting device, which is related to and / or corresponds to a determined or predetermined length of the tether. Furthermore, a user, therapist, trainer, etc., can supply in 32 an operable input, selection, command, etc., to cause the support system to define a threshold length of the tether related to and / or indicating a fall by the user during gait training, and in 33 an operable input, selection, command, etc., to cause the support system to define a threshold number of falls during gait therapy.

[0240]

[1292] Method 30 includes providing a predetermined amount of partial load relief during walking training when the user is moving relative to and / or on a surface (e.g., the floor or ground, or a training device such as a treadmill) and the number of falls is less than a fall threshold. For example, as described above, the predetermined amount of partial load relief may be the amount of support supplied to the user when the user is standing, walking, running and / or not actively falling in any other way. In some embodiments, the first amount of partial load relief may be, for example, zero support. That is, the tether can connect the user to the partial load relief system, but in some examples, the partial load relief system may not provide support unless the user is falling and / or the system is involved in doing so in any other way. In other embodiments, the first amount of support may be a non-zero portion of the user's weight, for example, including a portion or substantially all of the user's weight (e.g., expressed or represented as a percentage of the user's weight or a weight value in pounds or kilograms).

[0241]

[1293] In some cases, at 35, a predetermined amount of partial weight-bearing support to be provided to the user during gait training is increased in response to the satisfaction of a fall threshold. For example, in some cases, repeated falls by the user may indicate that the user should benefit from more partial weight-bearing support. Thus, the partial weight-bearing support system can increase the amount of support provided to the user. In some cases, the amount of increase can be a predetermined increase in the amount of support (e.g., a 1% increase, a 5% increase, a 10% increase, a 20% increase, etc.). In other cases, the amount of increase may be calculated based on characteristics related to the user's performance during gait training. In yet another case, the amount of increase may be input by the user, therapist, trainer, etc.

[0242]

[1294] Method 30 further includes, in 35, displaying data related to gait training on the display of an electronic device contained within the partial weight-bearing support system. For example, as described above with reference to Figures 50 to 69, the partial weight-bearing support system may be configured to present data in the form of graphs, charts, user interfaces, etc., which can provide the user and / or therapist or trainer with information about one or more training sessions (as described in detail above). Thus, the user, therapist, trainer, etc., can use the data to determine, for example, one or more characteristics related to the user's gait and / or his or her performance, improvements, weaknesses, strengths, etc., during gait training. It can be reconsidered.

[0243]

[1295] The methods and / or schemes described above describe certain events and / or flow patterns that occur in a certain order, but the ordering of certain events and / or flow patterns can be changed. Furthermore, certain events can be executed simultaneously in parallel processes when possible, and similarly, sequentially.

[0244]

[1296] Some embodiments described herein relate to computer storage products having a non-transient computer-readable medium (which may also be called a non-transient processor-readable medium) having instructions or computer code thereon for performing various computer-implemented operations. The computer-readable medium (or processor-readable medium) is non-transient in the sense that it does not contain transient, propagating signals (e.g., propagating electromagnetic waves that carry information on a transmission medium such as space or cable). The medium and computer code (also referred to herein as code) may be a medium and computer code designed and configured for one or more specific purposes. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage media such as hard disks, optical storage media such as compact disks / digital video discs (CDs / DVDs) and compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROMs), magneto-optical storage media such as optical disks, carrier signal processing modules, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program code, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), read-only memory (ROM) devices, and random-access memory (RAM) devices. Other embodiments described herein relate to computer program products that may include, for example, the instructions and / or computer code discussed herein.

[0245]

[1297] Examples of computer code include, but are not limited to, microcode or microinstructions, machine instructions such as those produced by a compiler, code used to create web services, and files containing high-level instructions executed by a computer using an interpreter. For example, embodiments may be implemented using imperative programming languages ​​(e.g., C, FORTRAN), functional programming languages ​​(e.g., Haskell, Erlang), logic programming languages ​​(e.g., Prolog), object-oriented programming languages ​​(e.g., Java, C++), or other programming languages ​​and / or other development tools. Additional examples of computer code include, but are not limited to, control signals, encrypted code, and compressed code.

Claims

1. A method of using a partial weight-bearing relief system to provide partial weight-bearing relief during walking training, wherein the partial weight-bearing relief system includes a tether configured to be coupled to a connected device worn by the user to couple the user to the partial weight-bearing relief system, and the method is The reference length of the tether when the connected device is in its initial position is defined, Defining the threshold length of the aforementioned tether, During the aforementioned walking training, when the user moves relative to the surface and the length of the tether is shorter than the threshold length of the tether, a first amount of partial load relief is provided. During the aforementioned walking training, when the user moves relative to the surface and the length of the tether is longer than the threshold length of the tether, a second amount of partial load relief is provided. A method comprising displaying data related to the walking training on the display of an electronic device included in the partial weight-bearing support system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the length of the tether is increased in response to an increase in the force that the user applies to the tether.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the increase in the force exerted by the user on the tether is related to the user falling during the walking training.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface on which the user moves relative to it is a stationary surface.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the partial load relief system includes a drive assembly configured to movably suspend the partial load relief system from a support track, the drive assembly configured to move the partial load relief system relative to the support track in response to the user moving relative to the surface such that the partial load relief system is maintained substantially overhead relative to the user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface on which the user moves relative to it is a moving surface including a treadmill.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the display of the data related to the walking training on the display includes displaying data related to the operating conditions of the partial load-bearing system and the operating conditions of the treadmill.

8. A method of using a partial weight-bearing relief system to provide partial weight-bearing relief during walking training, wherein the partial weight-bearing relief system includes a tether configured to be coupled to a connected device worn by the user to couple the user to the partial weight-bearing relief system, and the method is The reference length of the tether when the connected device is in its initial position is defined, To define a first criterion related to the change in the length of the tether, To define a second criterion related to the change in the length of the tether, Defining the amount of partial weight-bearing relief to be provided in response to the user falling during the walking training, A fall is determined to have occurred based on the satisfaction of the first and second judgment criteria, A method comprising providing partial load relief of the amount described above in response to the satisfaction of the first and second criteria.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first criterion is the rate of change of the length of the tether.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second criterion is the duration during which the length of the tether is changed.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the second criterion is the minimum duration.

12. The first criterion is the rate of change of the length of the tether, the second criterion is the duration during which the length of the tether is changed, and the amount of partial load relief provided in response to the satisfaction of the first and second criteria is the first amount of partial load relief, and the method is The method according to claim 8, further comprising providing a second amount of partial load relief when at least one of the first or second criteria is not satisfied, wherein the second amount of partial load relief is less than the first amount of partial load relief.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising redefining the reference length of the tether in response to a change in the length of the tether that does not satisfy at least one of the first criterion or the second criterion.

14. A method of using a partial weight-bearing relief system to provide partial weight-bearing relief during walking training, wherein the partial weight-bearing relief system includes a tether configured to be coupled to a connected device worn by the user to couple the user to the partial weight-bearing relief system, and the method is The reference length of the tether when the connected device is in its initial position is defined, The definition of the threshold length of the tether, wherein the threshold length of the tether is related to the user falling during the walking training, The number of falls during the aforementioned walking training is defined, During the aforementioned walking training, when the user moves relative to the surface and the number of falls is less than the aforementioned threshold number of falls, a predetermined amount of partial weight-bearing relief is provided. During the aforementioned walking training, in response to the satisfying of the aforementioned threshold number of falls, the predetermined amount of partial weight-bearing relief to be provided to the user is increased. A method comprising displaying data related to the walking training on a display of an electronic device included in the partial weight-bearing support system.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the surface on which the user moves relative to it is a stationary surface.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the partial load relief system includes a drive assembly configured to movably suspend the partial load relief system from a support truck, the drive assembly configured to move the partial load relief system relative to the support truck in response to the user moving relative to the surface such that the partial load relief system is maintained in a substantially overhead position relative to the user.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the surface on which the user moves relative to it is a moving surface including a treadmill.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the display of the data related to the walking training on the display includes displaying data related to the operating conditions of the partial load-bearing system and the operating conditions of the treadmill.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein, during the walking training, providing the predetermined amount of partial load relief when the user moves relative to the surface is in response to the length of the tether exceeding the threshold length of the tether.

20. The reference length of the tether is the first reference length of the tether, and the method is The method according to claim 14, further comprising defining a second reference length of the tether in response to the satisfaction of the aforementioned threshold number of falls, wherein the second reference length of the tether is shorter than the first reference length of the tether.

Images