Bionic prosthetic foot plate capable of self-powered motion monitoring

By simulating the function of plantar muscles in the prosthetic footplate and integrating energy recovery technology, the problems of neglecting plantar muscles and lacking self-powered power supply in traditional prostheses are solved, achieving efficient motion monitoring and self-powered power supply, and improving the adaptability and user experience of the prosthesis.

WO2025217798A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2025-10-23SHENZHEN INST OF ADVANCED TECH CHINESE ACAD OF SCI
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/CN2024/087960
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-04-16
Publication Date
2025-10-23

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing prosthetic footplate designs neglect the important role of plantar muscles and lack motion data monitoring functions, resulting in insufficient adaptability and stability of the prosthesis, failing to meet the individual differences in the needs of amputees, and relying on external power supply, which limits the working life and sustainability of the equipment.

Method used

Design a biomimetic prosthetic footplate that combines the characteristics of plantar muscles with an elastic carbon fiber footplate to simulate the function of plantar muscles. It converts mechanical energy during walking into electrical energy through an energy recovery device to monitor movement status, has self-powered capability, and powers low-power electronic products through an energy management unit, while also providing motion data analysis.

Benefits of technology

It improves the biosimulation of the prosthetic footplate and the user experience, enhances the adaptability and stability of the prosthesis, enables real-time monitoring and analysis of motion data, extends the working time of the device, and improves the patient's quality of life and ability to live independently.

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Abstract

Provided is a bionic prosthetic foot plate with a self-powered motion monitoring system, which comprises an elastic foot plate, a sole reinforcing rib plate (4), a transducer, an energy management unit, an MCU microprocessor, and a receiving cavity connector (2). The elastic foot plate can reduce impact force during foot strike by means of elastic deformation, while recycling and releasing energy to propel the human body forward in the late stage of standing. The sole reinforcing rib plate (4) is used for improving the rigidity of the elastic foot plate in a vertical direction and limiting the deformation of the elastic foot plate in a horizontal direction. The transducer converts the mechanical deformation of the foot plate into electric energy, and the motion mode and the motion state of the bionic prosthetic foot plate can be obtained by analyzing and processing the output voltage and current of the transducer. In addition, the recycled electrical energy can power electronic devices such as a wireless communication module, a GPS, and a pedometer, so that information such as the motion trail of the bionic prosthetic foot plate is obtained, and the information can be wirelessly transmitted to intelligent equipment such as a mobile phone for displaying and analyzing.
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Description

Bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of artificial prosthetic foot plate manufacturing and electronic technology, and specifically relates to a bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring. BACKGROUND

[0002] Amputation caused by diseases, traffic, accidents, etc. not only brings physical pain to patients, but also causes great inconvenience to their daily life, and the quality of life of amputees is seriously affected. The social participation of amputees is limited, the employment opportunities are reduced, and the mental health is also challenged. Therefore, solving the practical problems of amputees has become the focus of social attention. Effective prosthetic devices can partially compensate for the lost limb function of patients, thereby improving their quality of life. In the current design field of prosthetic foot plates, the traditional design method mainly focuses on simulating the skeletal structure of the human foot. Although this design idea considers the simulation of skeletal distribution, it often ignores the important role of foot muscle groups, especially the plantar muscles in the walking process. The plantar muscles not only have a significant impact on walking movements, but also store and release energy like springs through elastic deformation during movement, playing a key role in supporting body weight and pushing the body forward. The thrust of the foot almost entirely depends on the function of these muscles. Therefore, in order to more comprehensively simulate the function and efficiency of the natural foot, when designing a new type of bionic prosthetic foot plate, not only the distribution characteristics of the human foot skeleton should be considered, but also the characteristics of the plantar muscles should be valued and integrated to achieve a higher level of biological simulation and user experience.

[0003] At the same time, the traditional design of prosthetic foot plates ignores the monitoring of the daily motion state of patients wearing prostheses, however, recording the motion data of prosthetic users during activities is crucial for improving prosthetic design and enhancing user experience. By collecting data, doctors and engineers can better understand the performance of prostheses in actual use and how to adapt to the specific needs of different users. The collection of motion data helps to analyze the dynamics of the prosthesis and the gait pattern of the user. Such information is crucial for optimizing the structure of the prosthesis, improving its adaptability, stability, and efficiency. For example, by analyzing the data, designers can adjust the elastic properties of the prosthetic foot plate to simulate the biomechanical behavior of the natural foot, thereby improving the naturalness and comfort of walking. In addition, monitoring motion data can also help to detect potential use problems in advance and prevent long-term complications such as pain or skin damage at the residual limb. Ultimately, recording motion data not only improves the performance of the prosthesis, but also greatly improves the quality of life and independent living ability of patients. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a system that can monitor the motion state of amputees.

[0004] In recent years, the use of energy recovery technology to recover human energy for low-power wearable electronic products has attracted widespread attention, reducing the dependence on external power supply and improving the working life, continuous working time, etc. Application of energy recovery technology to bionic prosthetic foot plate can convert the elastic deformation generated during walking into electrical energy, thereby providing power for portable electronic products such as GPS, energy management circuit, etc. to solve the power supply problem of such electronic products. GPS electronic products can be used for walking path tracking of prosthetic wearers, and can be used for rescue positioning in special cases. In addition, the transducer used for energy recovery can be used to obtain electrical energy, and according to the output of the transducer, the data such as the force between the bionic foot plate and the ground, the step number, the movement time and the movement speed can be indirectly detected. According to these data, doctors can establish better evaluation data for the adaptability of prostheses and amputees, and timely adjust the design of prostheses and treatment plans.

[0005] SUMMARY

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, which simulates the action of human foot plantar muscle by connecting the elastic carbon fiber foot plate to the contact connecting rib plate, meeting the requirements of bionic design of prosthetic foot plate. At the same time, the prosthetic foot plate has an energy recovery device that can recover the excess energy generated by the amputee during walking, which can be used to monitor the walking state of the amputee. The bionic prosthetic foot plate can also be customized according to the individual differences of different patients. By adjusting the elastic properties of the spring steel sheet, the prosthetic foot plate can better adapt to the gait needs of the patient.

[0007] The technical solution of the present application to solve the above problems is: a bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, used to assist lower limb amputees to walk and record the motion of lower limb amputees, characterized in that it comprises:

[0008] Elastic foot plate, the elastic foot plate includes forefoot elastic foot plate, rear heel elastic foot plate, foot plate connector, the forefoot elastic foot plate and the rear heel elastic foot plate are respectively connected and fixed to the foot plate connector, the rear heel elastic foot plate generates deformation during the heel bottoming process to reduce the ground impact force, and the carbon fiber forefoot elastic foot plate generates deformation to store energy in the middle of standing, and releases the stored energy to push the human body forward in the late standing process;

[0009] Forefoot reinforcing rib plate, the forefoot reinforcing rib plate is used to strengthen the stiffness of the elastic foot plate in the vertical direction, while limiting the length deformation of the elastic foot plate in the horizontal direction;

[0010] Transducer, the transducer converts part of the mechanical deformation of the elastic foot plate and the foot plate reinforcing rib plate during walking into electrical energy;

[0011] An energy management unit capable of regulating and managing the unstable AC or DC voltage output generated by the transducer into a stable DC voltage output and a small fluctuation DC voltage output, thereby providing power supply for mobile low-power electronic products;

[0012] An MCU microprocessor for controlling and managing the working mode of the entire circuit device, including analyzing and processing the output voltage and output current from the transducer for detecting the working state and mode of the bionic prosthetic foot plate, and controlling and managing the working mode of the energy management unit;

[0013] A receiving cavity connector for connecting the bionic prosthetic foot plate with the residual limb of an amputee.

[0014] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the forefoot elastic foot plate and the rear heel elastic foot plate in the elastic foot plate can be integrally processed.

[0015] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the receiving cavity connector can be integrally processed with the foot plate connector.

[0016] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that, in order to reduce the contact friction between the elastic foot plate and the instep reinforcing rib plate, a rolling bearing is added between the instep reinforcing rib plate and the elastic foot plate.

[0017] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the front end of the forefoot elastic foot plate is raised at a certain angle with the ground, promoting the forward turning action of the foot plate when walking, and being more consistent with human gait.

[0018] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the forefoot elastic foot plate and the rear heel elastic foot plate can be carbon fiber plates, resin plates, rubber plates, glass fiber plates, composite material plates, etc.

[0019] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the stiffness adjustment of the bionic prosthetic foot plate can be realized by changing the shape, thickness and material of the forefoot elastic foot plate and the rear heel elastic foot plate, so as to meet the requirements of different weight amputee patients for different impact forces and different motion demands.

[0020] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the instep reinforcing rib plate is made of high-strength and high-toughness metal material.

[0021] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the rolling bearing can be connected with the instep reinforcing rib plate by welding, pin connection, threaded connection, etc.

[0022] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring system, characterized in that the rigidity adjustment of the bionic prosthetic foot plate can be realized by changing the shape, length, thickness and material of the instep reinforcing rib plate.

[0023] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the elastic foot plate and the instep reinforcing rib plate can be integrally processed and formed by vacuum forming, extrusion forming, casting forming, numerical control processing, machining, 3D printing, etc.

[0024] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring, characterized in that the transducer can be a piezoelectric ceramic transducer, a friction power generation transducer, an electromagnetic transducer, etc.

[0025] When the transducer is a piezoelectric ceramic transducer or a friction power generation transducer, the transducer can be pasted on the elastic foot plate and the instep reinforcing rib plate, which is used to convert the elastic deformation of the elastic foot plate and the instep reinforcing rib plate during walking into electrical energy.

[0026] When the transducer is an electromagnetic transducer, one end of the transducer is connected with the forefoot elastic foot plate, and the other end is connected with the rear heel elastic foot plate. The relative displacement of the forefoot elastic foot plate and the rear heel elastic foot plate during walking will drive the electromagnetic transducer to generate electrical energy.

[0027] The MCU microprocessor can detect the mechanical deformation of the elastic foot plate by processing the voltage and current output by the transducer, thereby measuring the ground impact force, walking steps, walking time, walking speed, etc. of the bionic prosthetic foot plate.

[0028] When the output voltage of the transducer is lower than a set threshold for a long time, the MCU microprocessor can be in sleep mode to reduce system energy consumption. When the output voltage of the transducer is higher than the threshold, the MCU microprocessor is awakened.

[0029] The electrical energy obtained by the transducer can be used to power the energy management circuit, storage unit, GPS, chip, microcomputer unit, etc.

[0030] The bionic artificial footboard also has a wireless transmission module, which can be a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, low-power wide-area network, etc. The wireless communication module can realize low-power data wireless transmission, and can be wirelessly connected with a smart mobile device such as a mobile phone. The motion state of the intelligent bionic artificial footboard can be analyzed and displayed in real time through a mobile phone APP, including steps, standing time, motion mode, motion trajectory, and motion time.

[0031] The energy management unit comprises:

[0032] An impedance matching circuit is connected with the transducer, and the energy recovery efficiency of the energy management unit is maximized through impedance matching;

[0033] A rectifier circuit is connected with the output end of the impedance matching circuit, and is used for rectifying and converting the alternating voltage signal generated by the transducer into direct current;

[0034] An energy storage unit is used for storing the recovered electric energy;

[0035] A maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is connected with the output end of the energy storage unit, and the output end of the maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is connected with the input end of the impedance matching circuit, which is used for adjusting the load to match the maximum power for charging the energy storage unit;

[0036] A feedback control module is connected with the output end of the energy storage unit, which controls the on-off of the converter and reduces the energy loss of the energy storage capacitor;

[0037] A converter is connected with the feedback control output end, which is used for raising and stabilizing the output voltage of the energy storage unit;

[0038] An analog-to-digital conversion module is connected with the output end of the preamplifier circuit, which is used for collecting piezoelectric signals and converting analog signals into digital signals.

[0039] The energy management unit further comprises a preamplifier circuit connected with the output end of the transducer, which is used for improving the output voltage.

[0040] The impedance matching circuit can adjust the equivalent input resistance by adjusting the inductance value of the secondary circuit of the transformer, so that the transducer and the energy management unit are impedance matched, and the charging power of the energy storage unit is always kept at the maximum power.

[0041] The rectifier circuit is composed of a full-wave rectifier circuit, which improves the utilization efficiency of the output voltage of the energy recovery device, including but not limited to diode rectification, MOS tube cross rectification, etc.

[0042] The rectifier circuit can prevent the energy storage unit from backflowing when the transducer is not working.

[0043] The maximum power point tracker (MPPT) detects the direct current voltage and output current of the energy storage unit, calculates the output power of the transducer, and adjusts the impedance matching of the load and the energy recovery device to maintain the output power of the energy recovery device to the maximum.

[0044] The maximum power point tracker (MPPT) can adjust the switching duty ratio through the power detection circuit and the PWM control loop, change the resistance of the impedance matching circuit, realize impedance matching, and complete maximum power point tracking.

[0045] The energy storage unit includes supercapacitors, lithium batteries and the like.

[0046] The converter adopts a DC-DC boost circuit to match the voltage requirements between the energy storage unit and different electronic loads.

[0047] The preamplifier circuit is composed of a voltage amplifier and is mainly used to improve the drift performance of the signal acquisition module.

[0048] The beneficial effects of the present application are:

[0049] 1. The present application combines the characteristics of human foot bottom muscles, adopts bionic structure design, so that the designed bionic foot plate can help patients to get better support and elastic buffering and elastic rebound power during walking, thereby improving the wearing experience of amputee patients and improving the walking gait of the wearer.

[0050] 2. The flexible piezoelectric conversion transducer is installed on the prosthetic foot plate, which is used to convert the mechanical energy generated by the elastic deformation of the foot plate during walking into electrical energy, which is used to power wearable electronic devices (such as GPS and pedometers, etc.), to monitor the user's movement, and at the same time, the output of the flexible piezoelectric conversion device can be processed to analyze the ground reaction force generated during walking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 2 is an axonometric view (rear right view) of the embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 3 is an axonometric view (front right view) of the embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 4 is a physical diagram of the bionic prosthetic foot plate of the embodiment of the present application (rear right view);

[0055] Fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a coil connector according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a magnet connector according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Fig. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a coil according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Fig. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a magnet according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Fig. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a coil cylinder according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Fig. 10 is a stress analysis of the overall force loading according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Fig. 11 is a deformation analysis of the overall force loading according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Fig. 12 is a test diagram for the dorsiflexion deformation of a prosthetic foot plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Fig. 13 is a test diagram for the plantar flexion deformation of a prosthetic foot plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of a self-powered motion monitoring system for a bionic prosthetic foot plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Fig. 15 is a human experiment diagram for a bionic prosthetic foot plate according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of the ground force variation of a prosthetic foot during one gait cycle according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of the ankle angle variation of a prosthetic foot during one gait cycle according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Fig. 18 is an open-loop voltage output diagram for a transducer according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Fig. 19 is a principle framework diagram according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Fig. 20 is a circuit principle diagram according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Shown in the figure: 1. connecting assembly, 2. receiving cavity connector, 3. connector, 4. rib plate, 5. connecting assembly, 6. roller, 7. rear heel elastic carbon fiber, 8. front foot palm elastic carbon fiber plate, 9. flexible piezoelectric transducer, 10. magnet connector, 11. connecting assembly, 12. magnet 13. Pcb, circuit board, 14. coil, 15. coil cylinder 16. coil connector, 17. connecting assembly, 10a. arc plate, 10b. plug, 10c. plug hole, 10d. positioning table, 12a. fixed ring, 12b. fixed boss, 12c. magnet column, 15a. fixed ring, 15b. winding column, 15c. boss, 16a. positioning table, 16b. inclined surface, 16c. plug hole, 16d. plug DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0072] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work are within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present application, but only represents selected embodiments of the present application.

[0073] The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring provided by the present application is described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 9.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 1, the present application mainly utilizes a transducer to convert the mechanical deformation of the bionic prosthetic foot plate into electrical energy, and utilizes a designed energy management circuit to store the energy in an energy storage unit. The energy storage unit supplies power to electronic devices, adjusts the energy management circuit, and analyzes the transducer electrical signal to obtain wearer motion information via a microprocessor (MCU).

[0075] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring provided by the present application comprises connecting components 1, 5, 11, 17, a receiving cavity connector 2, a connector 3, a muscle plate 4, a roller 6, a rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate 7, a forefoot elastic carbon fiber plate 8, a flexible piezoelectric transducer 9, a magnet connector 10, a magnet 12, a Pcb board 13, a coil 14, a coil cylinder 15, a coil connector 16, and a connecting component 17. The forefoot elastic carbon fiber plate 8 is connected to the side of the connector 3, the rear heel carbon fiber plate 7 is connected to the opposite side of the connector 3, the receiving cavity connector 2 is fixed to the upper end of the connector 3, the top end of the muscle plate 4 is connected to the roller 6 and the connector 3, the roller 6 is in contact with the forefoot elastic carbon fiber plate and the rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate, respectively, and the flexible piezoelectric transducer 9 is connected to the forefoot elastic carbon fiber plate 8, the rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate 7, or the muscle plate. The magnet connector 10 is connected to the forefoot elastic carbon fiber plate 8 and then connected to the magnet 12. The coil connector 14 is connected to the rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate 7 and then connected to the coil cylinder 15, and the coil 14 is wound on the coil cylinder 15.

[0076] The magnet connector 10, the magnet 12, the coil 14, the coil cylinder 15, and the coil connector 16 constitute an electromagnetic transducer. As shown in FIG. 5, the coil connector 16 is composed of a positioning table 16a, an inclined surface 16b, a plug hole 16c, and a plug 16d. The positioning table 16a is embedded in the positioning hole of the rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate 7 and is fixed by glue. The inclined surface 16b is attached to the rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate 7. As shown in FIG. 9, the magnet is composed of a fixed ring 15a, a winding column 15b, and a fixed boss 15c. The fixed ring 15a is concentric with the coil connector plug hole 16c and is connected by a connecting component bolt and nut to form a rotating link. The coil winding column 15b is wound with a coil. As shown in FIG. 6, the magnet connector 10 is composed of an arc plate 10a, a plug 10b, a plug hole 10c, and a positioning table 10d. The arc plate 10a is attached to the circular arc segment of the forefoot elastic carbon fiber plate 8. The positioning table 10d is embedded in the positioning hole of the rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate 8 and is fixed by glue. As shown in FIG. 8, the magnet is composed of a fixed ring 12a, a fixed boss 12b, and a magnet column 12c. The fixed ring 12a is concentric with the magnet connector plug hole 10c and is connected by a connecting component bolt and nut to form a rotating link. The magnet column 12c is inserted into the coil cylinder 15b for cutting the coil.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 10, the force loading of the whole prosthetic foot plate is shown. The loading force is 400N. The stress distribution of the prosthetic foot plate is simulated when the prosthetic foot plate is completely in contact with the ground and stands.

[0078] As shown in Figure 11, for the force loading of the whole prosthetic foot plate, the loading force is 400N, and the simulation is the deformation size of the prosthetic foot plate when the prosthetic foot plate is standing with the ground completely.

[0079] As shown in Figure 12, it is a test diagram of the dorsiflexion deformation of the prosthetic foot plate under the action of a 400N vertical load. The deformation test results are shown in Table 2. As can be seen from Table 2, the dorsiflexion deformation of the prosthetic foot plate is 17.13mm. According to the requirements of GB14723-2008 on the dorsiflexion deformation of the foot and ankle component, the minimum requirement for dorsiflexion deformation is 20mm, and the results of three tests are all less than the reference value in the standard. It shows that the hardness of the processed prosthetic foot plate is relatively hard, and it does not have a certain comfort. In view of this problem, we will optimize the thickness of the elastic carbon fiber plate of the forefoot, and adjust the stiffness.

[0080] Table 1 Test results of dorsiflexion deformation of prosthetic foot plate

[0081] As shown in Figure 13, it is a test diagram of the plantar flexion deformation of the prosthetic foot plate under the action of a 400N vertical load. The average value of the plantar flexion deformation of the prosthetic foot plate is 6.72mm, which is greater than the minimum plantar flexion deformation of 6mm required by the measurement method of the plantar flexion deformation of the ankle component in GB14723-2008.

[0082] Table 2 Test results of plantar flexion deformation of prosthetic foot plate

[0083] As shown in Figure 15, it is a test diagram of the patient wearing the prosthetic foot plate energy recovery device. In the initial stage of the experiment, the output end of the prosthetic foot plate energy recovery device is directly connected to an oscilloscope to display the open-loop output voltage signal. The patient wears the prosthetic foot plate energy recovery device, and marks the dynamic capture system points, and walks on the force platform at a speed of 4km / h.

[0084] As shown in FIGS. 16-18, the ankle angle, ground reaction force and the output voltage of the energy recovery device of the prosthetic foot plate during walking at a speed of 4 km / h. In the normal walking cycle, the initial stage of heel strike, the ankle joint maintains a neutral position. Subsequently, the foot slowly enters the plantar flexion state to ensure that the sole is fully in contact with the ground. Then, the tibia begins to move forward around the ankle joint, causing the ankle joint to gradually turn from plantar flexion to dorsiflexion. When the heel leaves the ground, the toes are about to leave the ground, the ankle joint returns to the plantar flexion position and reaches the maximum angle (about 20 degrees). During the swing phase, the degree of plantar flexion of the ankle joint gradually decreases and finally returns to the neutral position, preparing for the next gait cycle. The maximum vertical ground reaction force on the amputated side during one gait cycle is 743 N, which is greater than the weight of the subject (700 N). The stance phase accounts for about 61% of a gait cycle, and the swing phase accounts for about 39% of a gait cycle. The peak-to-peak voltage of the energy recovery device during movement can reach 200 V. When the heel touches the ground, the prosthetic foot plate begins to deform in plantar flexion, and the transducer begins to generate voltage. As the sole is fully in contact with the ground, the voltage generated by the transducer continues to be generated. As the forefoot elastic foot plate pushes away from the ground, the voltage value begins to decrease, and the MFC sheet of the transducer returns to its original state, and the voltage reverses. By analyzing the amplitude, peak-to-peak value, period and other characteristics of the output voltage signal of the energy recovery device, the motion state, motion speed, ground reaction force and other information of the subject can be identified.

[0085] As shown in FIGS. 19-20, the self-powered motion monitoring system according to the present application includes an energy recovery device, an energy collection circuit, a power supply circuit, a GPS module, a signal acquisition module, an MCU module, a wireless communication module and an application program.

[0086] The energy recovery device is composed of the bionic prosthetic foot plate and the transducer. The transducer converts mechanical deformation of the bionic prosthetic foot plate into electrical energy.

[0087] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the transducer is a flexible piezoelectric composite fiber.

[0088] Specifically, the transducer can be directly attached to one or more of the forefoot elastic carbon fiber plate, the rear heel elastic carbon fiber plate and the muscle plate, and the elastic deformation of the parts is converted into electrical energy by piezoelectric effect.

[0089] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the transducer is a linear electromagnetic induction energy recovery device.

[0090] Specifically, the transducer is composed of a magnet holder, a coil holder, a magnet, a coil and a coil cylinder. The magnet holder fixes the magnet on one side of the bionic prosthetic foot plate, the coil holder fixes the coil cylinder on the other side of the bionic prosthetic foot plate, and the coil is wound on the coil cylinder. The transducer converts the elastic deformation of the bionic prosthetic foot plate into the linear reciprocating motion of the magnet and the coil cylinder, generates electromagnetic induction, and generates electric energy.

[0091] As a preferred example of the present application, the flexible piezoelectric transducer is equivalent to an AC power source in parallel with a resistance and an inductance.

[0092] Specifically, the transducer can be a flexible piezoelectric composite fiber, or a material or device with the same function of converting mechanical deformation into electric energy such as piezoelectric ceramic.

[0093] As a preferred example of the present application, the energy harvesting circuit is composed of an impedance matching circuit, a rectifier circuit, an energy storage unit and a maximum power point tracker (MPPT).

[0094] As a preferred example of the present application, the impedance matching circuit is composed of a switch, an inductance, a resistance, a transformer and a secondary loop inductance. The equivalent input resistance and the equivalent input inductance are controlled by the switch to match the impedance changing with the capacitance during the charging process.

[0095] As a preferred example of the present application, the rectifier circuit adopts a full-wave rectifier circuit built with four low-power switching diodes.

[0096] Specifically, the rectifier circuit can adopt MOS tube rectification, cross rectification and active rectification, etc.

[0097] As a preferred example of the present application, the energy storage unit adopts a large-capacitance super capacitor and a small-capacitance super capacitor. The small-capacitance super capacitor is used as an auxiliary power source to start the circuit and power the amplifiers, comparators, etc. in the circuit. When the small-capacitance super capacitor is fully charged, the switch is opened and the super capacitor continues to be charged.

[0098] Specifically, the energy storage unit can adopt electrolytic capacitors, lithium batteries and other energy storage devices that can be charged and discharged multiple times and have fast charging and discharging speed.

[0099] As a preferred example of the present application, the maximum power point tracker (MPPT) is composed of a power detection circuit and a PWM feedback control circuit. By detecting the charging power of the super capacitor, feedback control is performed to output a duty cycle adjustable square wave to control the on-off time of the switch in the impedance matching circuit, so as to adjust the equivalent input resistance and the equivalent input inductance, and realize operation at the maximum power point.

[0100] Specifically, the energy collection circuit can adopt an inductance-based parallel synchronous switching hand circuit (P-SSHI), an energy collection chip LTC3588-1, etc.

[0101] As an optimized example of the application, the feedback control module adopts a voltage monitoring module composed of an LTC2935 chip to monitor the voltage across the energy storage capacitor, and uses a hysteresis characteristic to access the AD7689 enable end to control the working time of the DC-DC module.

[0102] Specifically, the feedback control module can also adopt a control loop composed of a Schmitt trigger and a timer, or other methods to control the conduction of the DC-DC module.

[0103] As an optimized example of the application, the transducer adopts a DC-DC boost circuit composed of a TPS61022 chip to match the power supply requirements of the load.

[0104] Specifically, the DC-DC boost circuit can also adopt a DC-DC boost circuit composed of an LTC3106 chip, etc.

[0105] As a preferred example of the application, the signal acquisition module is composed of a preamplifier circuit and an AD7689 analog-to-digital conversion circuit. The preamplifier circuit is used to improve the drift performance of the analog-to-digital conversion circuit and acquire stable piezoelectric signals. If the energy output device outputs weak piezoelectric signals, a pre-charge amplification circuit needs to be used to facilitate data acquisition.

[0106] Specifically, the preamplifier circuit can adopt AD8605, AD8031 chips, etc. The analog-to-digital conversion circuit can adopt AD7689, AD7682 chips, etc. The SDO, SCK, DIN, CNV ends are connected to the corresponding pins of the MCU to complete communication.

[0107] As a preferred example of the application, the GPS adopts an ATGM332D chip with an active antenna. RXD1, TXD1 are connected to the corresponding pins of the MCU to complete communication.

[0108] Specifically, the GPS can adopt a low-power and small-size GPS composed of Air530, ATGM332D chips, etc.

[0109] As a preferred example of the application, the MCU adopts an STM32 chip with ultra-low power consumption and rich pins, which can process system data and communicate with multiple data units.

[0110] Specifically, the MCU can also adopt an Arduino microprocessor, etc.

[0111] As a preferred example of the present application, the Bluetooth transmission is built by using WL9981.

[0112] Specifically, the wireless transmission module can adopt Zigbee-based wireless transmission, Wi-Fi transmission and other low-power wide-area network communication technologies.

[0113] In summary, the present application provides a bionic prosthetic foot plate with a self-powered motion monitoring system. Through energy recovery technology, the energy during the movement of the bionic prosthetic foot plate is recovered through circuit design to power wearable electronic devices and other devices, achieving self-powering. The collected information is fed back to the mobile phone APP for the user to view. In specific implementation, an impedance matching circuit is designed, the equivalent input resistance and the equivalent input inductance are adjusted, a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) module is designed to detect the charging power of the energy storage unit, a variable duty cycle signal is outputted using the signal, the impedance matching circuit switch conduction time is controlled, the equivalent input resistance and the equivalent input inductance are adjusted, and the energy recovery efficiency is improved. An alternating current signal is converted into a direct current signal by a rectifier circuit for storing energy. A rechargeable battery is selected to power the amplifier and other components in the circuit, and a super capacitor is used as an energy storage capacitor, which improves the service life and working efficiency of the system. A DC-DC circuit is added at the back end of the super capacitor to increase the output voltage of the super capacitor to meet the voltage requirements of the load. A feedback control module is added to the enable end of the DC-DC circuit to control the working time of the DC-DC, reducing the energy loss of the energy storage capacitor. The output end of the energy recovery device is connected to a buffer and an analog-to-digital converter to collect the voltage signal output by the energy recovery device, improve the drift performance, and stabilize the work.

[0114] The above is only an embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process conversion using the content of the present application specification and drawings, or direct or indirect application in other related system fields, are also included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring for assisting a lower limb amputee to walk and recording the motion condition of the lower limb amputee, characterized in that, The bionic artificial foot comprises: a) elastic foot plates, including forefoot elastic foot plates and rear heel elastic foot plates, which are connected to the foot plate connector, the rear heel elastic foot plates are deformed during the heel touch-down process to reduce the ground impact force, and the forefoot elastic foot plates are deformed during the mid-stance to store energy and release the stored energy to push the human body forward during the late stance; b) a forefoot reinforcing plate for reinforcing the vertical stiffness of the elastic foot plates while limiting the horizontal length deformation of the elastic foot plates; c) a transducer for converting part of the mechanical deformation of the elastic foot plates and the forefoot reinforcing plate into electrical energy during walking; d) an energy management unit for regulating and managing the unstable AC or DC voltage output of the transducer into a stable DC voltage output and a small fluctuation DC voltage output to power mobile low-power electronic products; e) an MCU microprocessor for controlling and managing the working mode of the entire circuit device, including analyzing and processing the output voltage and output current from the transducer to detect the working state and mode of the bionic artificial foot plate, and controlling and managing the working mode of the energy management unit; f) a receiving cavity connector for connecting the bionic artificial foot plate to the residual limb of an amputee.

2. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The forefoot elastic foot plates and rear heel elastic foot plates in the elastic foot plates can be integrally processed.

3. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving cavity connector can be integrally processed with the foot plate connector.

4. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: Rolling bearings are added between the forefoot reinforcing plate and the elastic foot plate to reduce the contact friction between the elastic foot plate and the forefoot reinforcing plate.

5. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end of the forefoot elastic foot plate is raised at an angle to the ground to facilitate the forward turning action of the foot plate during walking, making it more consistent with human gait.

6. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The forefoot elastic foot plates and rear heel elastic foot plates can be carbon fiber plates, resin plates, rubber plates, glass fiber plates, or composite material plates.

7. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stiffness adjustment of the bionic artificial foot plate can be achieved by changing the shape, thickness, and material of the forefoot elastic foot plates and rear heel elastic foot plates to meet the requirements of different weight amputees for different impact forces and different movement needs.

8. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The forefoot reinforcing plate is made of high-strength and high-toughness metal material.

9. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rolling bearings can be connected to the forefoot reinforcing plate by welding, pin connection, or threaded connection.

10. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stiffness adjustment of the bionic artificial foot plate can be achieved by changing the shape, length, thickness, and material of the forefoot reinforcing plate.

11. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic foot plates and forefoot reinforcing plate can be integrally processed by vacuum forming, extrusion forming, casting, numerical control processing, machining, or 3D printing.

12. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transducer can be a piezoelectric ceramic transducer, a friction power generation transducer, or an electromagnetic transducer.

13. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 12, characterized in that: When the transducer is a piezoelectric ceramic transducer or a frictional power generation transducer, the transducer can be attached to the elastic foot plate and the instep reinforcing rib plate, and is used to convert the elastic deformation of the elastic foot plate and the instep reinforcing rib plate during walking into electrical energy.

14. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 12, characterized in that: When the transducer is an electromagnetic transducer, one end of the transducer is connected to the forefoot instep elastic foot plate, and the other end is connected to the rear heel elastic foot plate. The relative displacement of the forefoot instep elastic foot plate and the rear heel elastic foot plate during walking will drive the electromagnetic transducer to generate electrical energy.

15. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MCU microprocessor can detect the mechanical deformation of the elastic foot plate by processing the voltage and current output by the transducer, and is used to measure the ground impact force, walking steps, walking time and walking speed of the bionic prosthetic foot plate.

16. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the output voltage of the transducer is lower than a set threshold for a long time, the MCU microprocessor can be in sleep mode to reduce system energy consumption. When the output voltage of the transducer is higher than the threshold, the MCU microprocessor is awakened.

17. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrical energy obtained by the transducer can be used to power the energy management circuit, the storage unit, the GPS, the chip or the microcomputer unit.

18. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bionic prosthetic foot plate also has a wireless transmission module, which can realize data wireless transmission for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, low-power wide-area network, and can be wirelessly connected with a smart mobile device such as a mobile phone. The motion status of the smart bionic prosthetic foot plate, including the number of steps, standing time, motion mode, motion trajectory and motion time, can be analyzed and displayed in real time through the mobile phone APP.

19. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The energy management unit comprises: a) an impedance matching circuit connected to the transducer, which maximizes the energy recovery efficiency of the energy management unit through impedance matching; b) a rectifier circuit connected to the output end of the impedance matching circuit, which is used to rectify and convert the alternating voltage signal generated by the transducer into direct current; c) an energy storage unit for storing recovered electrical energy; d) a maximum power point tracker connected to the output end of the energy storage unit, the output end of the maximum power point tracker being connected to the input end of the impedance matching circuit, which is used to adjust the load to match the maximum power for charging the energy storage unit; e) a feedback control module connected to the output end of the energy storage unit, which controls the on-off of the converter to reduce the energy loss of the energy storage capacitor; f) a converter connected to the feedback control output end, which is used to raise and stabilize the output voltage of the energy storage unit; g) an analog-to-digital conversion module connected to the output end of the preamplifier circuit, which is used to collect piezoelectric signals and convert analog signals into digital signals. The energy management unit also includes a preamplifier circuit connected to the output end of the transducer, which is used to improve the output voltage.

20. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 19, characterized in that: ​ 21. A bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 19, characterized in that: The impedance matching circuit can adjust the equivalent input resistance by adjusting the inductance value of the secondary circuit of the transformer, so that the transducer and the energy management unit are impedance matched, and the charging power of the energy storage unit is always kept at the maximum power.

22. The energy management unit of claim 19, wherein: The rectifier circuit is composed of a full-wave rectifier circuit, which improves the utilization efficiency of the output voltage of the energy recovery device, including but not limited to diode rectification and MOS tube cross rectification.

23. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 19, characterized in that: The rectifier circuit can prevent the energy of the energy storage unit from flowing back when the transducer is not working.

24. The energy management unit of claim 19, wherein: The maximum power point tracker detects the direct current voltage and output current of the energy storage unit, calculates the output power of the transducer, adjusts the impedance matching between the load and the energy recovery device, and realizes that the output power of the energy recovery device is always maintained to the maximum.

25. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 19, characterized in that: The maximum power point tracker can adjust the switching duty cycle through the power detection circuit and the PWM control loop, change the resistance of the impedance matching circuit, realize impedance matching, and complete the maximum power point tracking.

26. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 19, characterized in that: The energy storage unit includes a super capacitor or a lithium battery.

27. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 19, characterized in that: The converter adopts a DC-DC boost circuit to match the voltage requirements between the energy storage unit and different electronic loads.

28. The bionic prosthetic foot plate with self-powered motion monitoring according to claim 19, characterized in that: The preamplifier circuit is composed of a voltage amplifier, which is used to improve the drift performance of the signal acquisition module.

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