Patient transfer system for gait therapy
The crane system with pulleys and rope mechanism addresses the challenge of therapist strain and complex positioning by enabling seamless patient transfer to robotic gait trainers, improving therapy efficiency and comfort.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BAMA TEKNOLOJİ ANONİM ŞİRKETİ
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-09
AI Technical Summary
Existing patient transfer systems for gait therapy require physical force and ramps, which can strain therapists and complicate the positioning of patients on robotic gait trainers, especially for those with reduced walking ability.
A crane system using pulleys and a rope mechanism allows patients to be transferred directly from a wheelchair to a robotic gait trainer without ramps, enabling smooth, force-free patient positioning by angular movements and motor control.
Facilitates comfortable and efficient patient transfer without therapist strain, ensuring precise alignment with the gait trainer mechanisms, enhancing the therapy experience.
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Abstract
Description
[0001] PATIENT TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR GAIT THERAPY
[0002] Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to a system for supporting a patient by compensating the patient’s weight at a certain rate during physical therapy or exercise in which patients having a gait disorder or disability are made to walk on a treadmill, and for transferring the patient into an appropriate position within the device by means of a crane system and subsequently removing the patient from the device.
[0004] Prior Art
[0005] Today, various exercise methods are applied in order to enable individuals who have reduced walking ability or experience problems during walking as a result of conditions such as stroke, traffic accidents, or multiple sclerosis (MS) to walk healthily again. Some of these methods are performed on a treadmill, and the equipment used carries all or part of the patient’s weight and externally coordinates the movements of the patient’s legs and feet so that the user can correctly perform the walking exercise.
[0006] One example found in the known state of the art is disclosed in patent document US6821233B 1. In the device that is the subject of said patent document, in addition to coordinating steps, it is also aimed to support the patient’s back during the natural up-and-down oscillatory movement of the patient. Maintaining said support in an upright position relative to the ground, which is the natural posture of the back, is achieved by means of a parallelogram-shaped frame.
[0007] Another example known in the current art is disclosed in patent application document US2005239613A1. Said application describes how the patient’s weight is supported. In order to make these support adjustments, a prior determination of the patient’s weight is required. In addition to leg movements, during natural walking the hip also performs angular oscillations around the left-right and vertical axes. An example aimed at enabling the patient to perform this movement can be seen in patent application WO2014202767A1. In this document, a hip support part oscillating between rails positioned angularly relative to each other and a crane mechanism capable of carrying the patient’s weight during lateral movements of the patient are disclosed.
[0008] Another example known in the literature is the crane system disclosed in Spanish patent application ES1273759U. This system is a wall-mounted mobile crane system that enables the patient to be transferred and moves horizontally along its entire length. It has a structure that allows a wheelchair to enter beneath the patient.
[0009] Some systems that enable the patient’s weight to be lifted at a desired rate and balance the varying loads during the gait phases are disclosed in documents TR201312665A2 and TR201403201 A2. In addition, document TR201606972 is an example related to crane systems that carry patient load.
[0010] Purpose and Brief Description of the InventionFixed robotic locomotor therapy systems, by their structure, require the patient to be connected to an orthosis positioned on a treadmill and to have all or part of the patient’s weight taken by a crane system in this position. Therefore, the patient must first be suspended from a crane system and connected to the orthosis. This situation creates the need to position the patient at a specific location on the treadmill.
[0011] Existing systems operate by bringing the patient to this position using a ramp. However, this situation requires physical force depending on the patient’s weight and may strain therapists. The purpose of the present invention is to take the patient from a position outside the robotic gait trainer where the patient can be comfortably grasped and carried by a rope system, and to transfer the patient along a route that does not collide with the components of the robotic gait trainer to the position where the patient will be connected to the device. In this way, the use of a ramp is eliminated and there will be no need for therapists to apply physical force.
[0012] Descriptions of the Figures Explaining the Invention
[0013] In order to better explain the crane developed with this invention, the figures used and the related descriptions are given below.
[0014] • Figure l is a perspective view of the entirety of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention.
[0015] • Figure 2 is a top view of the state of the pulleys forming the crane component of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention at the moment when the patient is taken inside.
[0016] • Figure 3 is a top view of the state of the pulleys forming the crane component of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention at the moment when they start moving to take the patient out.
[0017] • Figure 4 is a top view of the state of the pulleys forming the crane component of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention while moving to take the patient out.
[0018] • Figure 5 is a top view of the state of the pulleys forming the crane component of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention while taking the patient out.
[0019] • Figure 6 is a top view of the pulleys forming the crane component of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention on their own.
[0020] • Figure 7 is a perspective view of the pulleys forming the crane component of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention on their own.
[0021] • Figure 8 is a schematic top view showing the movement area of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention.
[0022] • Figure 9 is a schematic top view of a movement path within the movement area of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention.
[0023] • Figure 10 is a schematic top view of the path along which the position of the rope is moved during the gait cycle within the movement area of a robotic gait trainer system according to the invention.
[0024] Definitions of the Elements Forming the Invention
[0025] In order to better explain the crane developed with this invention, the parts and sections shown in the figures are numbered, and the corresponding definitions of each number are given below.1. Rob oti c gait trainer
[0026] 2. Head
[0027] 3. Mechanism
[0028] 4. Arm
[0029] 5. Feeding pulley
[0030] 6. Vertical pulley
[0031] 7. Horizontal pulley
[0032] 8. Free pulley
[0033] 9. Patient pulley
[0034] 10. Rope
[0035] 11. Body
[0036] 12. Motor
[0037] Detailed Description of the Invention
[0038] In its most basic form, the invention consists of a feeding pulley (5) that enables the guidance of a rope (10) used in a robotic gait trainer (1) system to compensate the patient’s load, a patient pulley (9) that carries the patient, and a free pulley (8).
[0039] The feeding pulley (5) can apply a certain resistance to the rope (10) by means of a rope-winding crane system. This resistance amount may be in the form of fully compensating the patient’s weight or partially supporting it in accordance with the patient’s treatment process. The resistance may be constant or oscillatory in accordance with the gait cycle.
[0040] By means of mechanisms (3) located on the robotic gait trainer (1), the patient’s legs are grasped from the sides and walking exercise on the treadmill is enabled. These mechanisms located on the right and left sides of the patient can open sideways to allow the patient to be taken from the front. However, due to the patient’s difficulty in walking and difficulty in standing upright, connecting the patient to the mechanism (3) involves difficulty for both the patient and the operator. Moreover, especially during adjustment of the mechanism, it may be necessary for the patient to remain suspended in the air for an extended period.
[0041] It is preferred that a patient wearing a harness and brought near the robotic gait trainer (1) by a wheelchair be lifted and taken directly by means of the rope (10) without using a ramp and be connected to the mechanism (3) while suspended in the air. However, while taking the patient from the side of the robotic gait trainer (1), the patient must be moved without getting caught on the mechanism (3). For this purpose, the patient must first be displaced outward away from the mechanisms (3) and then taken into the robotic gait trainer (1).
[0042] During the transportation of the patient by this rope (10), the outward displacement and inward taking movement performed to move away from the mechanism occur by means of two components that move angularly. The first of these components is an arm (4) connected to the body (11) of the robotic gait trainer (1) and capable of angular movement in the horizontal plane. The rope (10), whose load is compensated within the body (11), passes through a feeding pulley (5) inside the arm (4) and is delivered to the vertical pulley (6) through the arm (4), which is angularly formed. The rope (10), which is angularly bent in the vertical plane on the vertical pulley (6), reaches the horizontal pulley (7) and is bent in the horizontal plane.
[0043] Within the angularly formed arm (4), the rope (10) will first rise angularly upward by following the form of the arm (4). Thereafter, it exits from the horizontal pulley (7), which allows it tobend horizontally with a certain degree of freedom. The rope exiting the horizontal pulley (7) reaches the free pulley (8). The free pulley (8) ensures that the rope length that changes due to rotational movements during patient intake remains constant, thereby preventing the patient from moving up and down during patient intake. The free pulley (8) and the patient pulley (9) are located in the head (2) region at the end of the arm (4).
[0044] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the arm (4) can be moved by performing an angular sweep over a distance approximately equal to a radius “a” extending from the approximate position of the feeding pulley (5) to the approximate center of the head (2) at the end of the arm (4). Meanwhile, by means of the motor (12) component located within the head (2), the position of the patient pulley (9) can be moved by angularly sweeping along a circle starting from the end of the radius “a” and corresponding to a radius “b”.
[0045] The free pulley (8) ensures smooth movement of the rope (10) during angular movements of the rope around the center of the head (2). The position at which the free pulley (8) is fixed and allowed to rotate angularly around is approximately the center of the head (2). In this way, the free pulley (8) will actually be positioned by bisecting the two lines named “a” and “b” between the rope (10), which remains taut in the “a” and “b” directions.
[0046] The location where the patient pulley (9) and the free pulley (8) are positioned at the end of the arm (4) in a manner allowing angular movement, as well as the arm (4) itself, can move angularly. By means of these movements, the patient pulley (9) can reach any point within the region indicated by “c” in Figure 8. This is because there is an access distance of the arm (4) indicated by “a” and an access distance of the patient pulley (9) indicated by “b”, which it makes around a center at the end of the arm (4). The angular movements of both the arm (4), by a motor located in the body (11), and the patient pulley (9), by the motor (12) located in the head (2), can be controlled. By means of this independent movement capability, the patient pulley (9) can go to any point within “c”.
[0047] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in order to avoid the mechanisms (3), the movement path “d” to be followed by the patient pulley (9) is shown in Figure 9. By means of the line “d”, the patient pulley (9), which first moves linearly outward to avoid the mechanisms (3), subsequently moves angularly to move the patient away from the robotic gait trainer (1). In addition to only the process of taking the patient into or releasing the patient from the robotic gait trainer (1), during the walking (gait cycle) performed by the patient on the treadmill with the support of the mechanism (3), the position of the rope (10) can be changed to bring the patient’s body into a position more synchronized with walking. This is because the position of the patient pulley (9), which is actively managed by the motor (12), draws an arc with a radius “b” backward from the end of the arm (4) of length “a” and exactly in accordance with the transverse movement of the patient’s pelvis. In this way, by means of the path “e” followed by the patient pulley (9) moved only within the radius “b”, the pelvic movement of the patient is supported during the walking exercise.
Claims
CLAIMS1. A robotic gait trainer (1) characterized by a crane system intended to support a patient by compensating the patient’s weight at a certain rate, to transfer the patient to an appropriate position within the device and to remove the patient from the device again, said crane system comprising:• a feeding pulley (5) for guiding a rope (10) that enables compensation of the patient’s load, a patient pulley (9) carrying the patient, and a free pulley (8);• an arm (4) which, for outward displacement and inward intake performed during transportation of the patient by the rope (10), passes through a feeding pulley (5) located within the body (11) and moves angularly by performing an angular sweep over a distance corresponding to a radius “a” from the center relative to the body (11), and a patient pulley (9) located at the end of a head (2), the position of which can be moved by angular sweeping along a circle starting from the end of the radius “a” and corresponding to a radius “b”.
2. A robotic gait trainer (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the patient pulley (9) whose movements are controlled by a motor (12) component located within the head (2).
3. A robotic gait trainer (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the arm (4) whose movements are controlled by a motor component located within the body (11).
4. A robotic gait trainer (1) according to claims 1-3, characterized by the patient pulley (9) capable of reaching any point within region “c” by virtue of the independent movement capability of the arm (4) and the patient pulley (9) by means of motors.
5. A robotic gait trainer (1) according to claims 1-4, characterized by the patient pulley (9) whose position is actively managed by the motor (12) and which supports the pelvic movement of the patient during the walking exercise by means of the path “e” it follows.