4643 results about "Assistive device" patented technology

The invention relates to a listening assistance device (1) comprising hearing modules (3) mounted on the ends of the arms of an eyeglass frame (2), said modules being designed to support the eyeglass frame on the ear of the user. The hearing modules also have a formed part (5) which extends into the auditive canal without closing the latter and which includes the sound outlet hole (6) of the module. The modules comprise a speech spectrum frequency response and linear dynamics in order to improve speech intelligibility. This makes it possible to provide a listening assistance device compensating for mild hearing loss that can be produced easily and economically, is more comfortable to use and is not regarded at first sight as a hearing aid by an observer.

The present invention provides a human engineered power and control system for artificial hearts or assist devices configured for ease of use, ruggedness, and high reliability. Battery powered systems of the prior art have required multiple cables and connectors that are subject to failure due to damage or wear. In the present invention, direct connection of the batteries to the control system eliminates multiple cables and connectors used with previous designs. A novel method of connecting batteries to the control system and exchanging batteries without interruption of power is provided in a compact user friendly configuration. The control system may provide periodic reductions in assist device flow to permit the natural ventricle to eject blood through the natural outflow valve, open the valve leaflets to prevent them from adhering together, and achieve sufficient washout to prevent thrombosis. Using either software based control or software independent electronic circuitry, the flow pumped by the artificial heart is reduced for a long enough period of time to permit at least a few beats of the natural heart to generate sufficient pressure to open the outflow valve. In a control system embodiment in which the patient manually adjusts the pump speed to incremental settings for rest and exercise conditions, a pulsatile flow mode is disclosed which provides approximately the same flow at a given incremental setting as the pump produces when running in a constant speed mode at the same setting. As the patient learns which speed setting is best for daily activities, the patient may use the same setting with either a pulsatile or constant pump speed mode.

The present invention is directed to a visual mobility assist device which provides a conformal, augmented display to assist a moving body. When the moving body is a motor vehicle, for instance (although it can be substantially any other body), the present invention assists the driver in either lane keeping or collision avoidance, or both. The system can display objects such as lane boundaries, targets, other navigational and guidance elements or objects, or a variety of other indicators, in proper perspective, to assist the driver.

A portable lancing aid for providing liquid samples comprises a lancet system having at least one lancet, a tensioning device, and an electromechanical actuator. The tensioning device can be tensioned by the electromechanical actuator. The portable lancing aid may further include an energy source for storing electrical energy that is connected to the electromechanical actuator. Additionally, the portable lancing aid may include an interface for charging the energy source where the interface is externally accessible from the lancet system. The invention is ergonomical and easy to handle for children and patients with physical limitations. Furthermore, a lancing system for collecting liquid samples is provided with a portable lancing aid that is detachably mountable to a charging station for charging the portable lancing aid.

A combined lancing and auxiliary device includes a lancing device with a lancing auxiliary device attached thereto. The lancing auxiliary device can be, for example, a compartment for securely and removably containing items associated or unassociated with lancing, a timer or personal digital assistant device for assisting in documentation, or an illumination device for illuminating a target site. The lancing auxiliary device can be permanently or removably attached to the lancing device.

[Problem to be Solved]

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the load applied to the wearer by correcting a parameter in correspondence with detectivity of biosignals.

[Means to Solve Problem]

The calibration controlling part 162 of the movement assisting apparatus 10 enables the power amplifying part 158 to apply a driving force of the driving source 140 as a load (input torque) from the load generating part 164 to the wearer 12 when the wearer 12 wears the movement assisting wearing device. Then, the wearer 12 applied with the driving force of the driving source 140 generates power from the skeletal muscles by performing a predetermined calibration operation. Accordingly, the physical phenomenon detecting part 142 detects joint angle along with the calibration operation, and the biosignal detecting part 144 detects myoelectric signals. In the parameter correction part 156, a parameter K is corrected based on the difference between the load (input torque) and the driving force (muscular strength) being calculated by the difference deriving part 154 with respect to the phase identified by the phase identifying part 152.

A method and apparatus for influencing movement of a handle of a floor treatment device, such as a vacuum. The floor treatment device may include a handle portion that is attached to a base, which includes a floor treatment portion. The handle portion may be pivotally movable about a rotation axis relative to the base between at least first and second positions, where the rotation axis lies in a vertical plane that includes a longitudinal axis of the handle when the handle portion is in the first position and the longitudinal axis is a non-vertical position. A pivot assist device may apply a bias to the handle portion that urges the handle portion to move from the second position to the first position, e.g., to help support the weight of the handle when a user steers the floor treatment device across a floor.

A pelvic support and walking assistance device is disclosed which includes a trunk support member and a thigh lifting member coupled to each other at a pivot joint positioned opposite a hip joint of a user. The device functions to prevent pelvic sway. With a spring coupled with said pivot joint, the device further provides a thigh lifting torque to partially compensate for proximal leg weakness. The spring assistance pivot device includes a winding device that can be adjusted in use for varying forward torque for varying situations.

A wearable type movement assisting apparatus includes a movement assisting glove including a finger insertion part into which a finger of a wearer is inserted, a driving part arranged on a backhand side of the movement assisting glove and configured to drive the finger insertion part, a linear member arranged along the finger insertion part and configured to transmit a driving force of the driving part to the finger insertion part, a biosignal detection part configured to detect a biosignal that causes the finger of the wearer to move, and a control part configured to output a drive control signal to the driving part based on the biosignal detected by the biosignal detection part. The driving part is configured to move the linear member in an extending direction or a bending direction of the finger insertion part based on the drive control signal from the control part.

A device disclosed is a device for protecting soft tissues and for assisting in the performance of surgical procedure involving incision of tissues. The incision having a longitude section and two ends, and the device comprises a flexible sheet configured to be placed on the tissue, wherein the sheet outlines the tissue. According to one preferred embodiment the device provides indication for the location for performing the incision. According to further embodiments the device can comprise attaching means for attaching the device.

The present invention relates to a mobility aiding device, such as a walker, a wheelchair, a transport chair, a shower seat or a rollator, for use in providing support to injured or ailing persons during activity or movement. According to the present invention a solid two-piece seating platform is provided with a structural support for distributing the weight of the user to the frame. Furthermore, the two pieces of the seating platform are inter-hinged, enabling the entire device to fold up into a storage position. A lock is provided for maintaining the structural support in place, and a handle is provided for facilitating folding the device into the storage position.

An airway device is provided for opening a patient's airway. The airway device provides dual tubes which allow the patient to breathe on his/her own, to be ventilated, or to be intubated. The airway device includes a camera which provides constant visualization of the patient's tissues during insertion of the airway device and during the entire medical procedure. A transmission lumen monitors heart and breath sounds. Information from the camera and the transmission lumen is relayed to a microprocessor to allow for monitoring which may be remote. An airway assist device may be used with the airway device for properly positioning the patient's tongue is also disclosed. The airway assist device is inserted into the patient's vallecula to manipulate the patient's tongue.

An intubation assistance apparatus includes a main body having a proximal end portion; an intubation assistance instrument having an elongated insertion section for insertion into a target site or its vicinity of a patient from a mouth cavity of the patient, the inserting section being formed with a tube guide for leading the intubation tube toward the observation site; and an imaging device for taking an image of an observation site at a distal end portion of the insertion section as an electronic image. The main body includes a display having a screen for displaying the electronic image taken by the imaging device, and the screen of the display is adapted to indicate a target mark for adjusting or setting an advancing direction of the intubation tube to the observation site displayed on the screen in the electronic image displayed on the screen.

A digital broadcast receiver is disclosed. The method of processing an application in a digital broadcast receiver connected with an interactive network includes receiving, from a broadcast network, broadcast audio/video (A/V) content and application information table (AIT) data, wherein the AIT data includes a linkage descriptor, parsing the linkage descriptor, wherein the linkage descriptor comprises a field identifying a type of at least one secondary device able to process the application, displaying an indicator informing that the application is able to be accessed by using at least one secondary device, searching at least one secondary device connected to the digital broadcast receiver, receiving a request signal for the application, and transmitting the application or an IP address of the application to the secondary device.

The present invention provides a walking assistance device comprising a pelvis support member (10) adapted to be worn on a hip of a wearer; a thigh support member (20) adapted to be worn on a thigh of the wearer; a leg support member (40) adapted to be worn on a leg of the wearer; a knee joint hinge (60) disposed at a position corresponding to a side part of a knee of the wearer and connecting the leg support member (40) to the thigh support member (20) in a manner that enables back-and forth rotation of the leg support member (40) with respect to the thigh support member (20); and a power generator assembly (100) mounted to the pelvis support member (10) at a position corresponding to a side part of a hip joint of the wearer; wherein the power generator assembly (100) comprises a hip joint power generator (110) and a knee joint power generator (120) each having an output member (116, 126, respectively), with the output member (116) of the hip joint power generator (110) being connected to the thigh support member (20) in a power-transmittable manner and the output member (126) of the knee joint power generator (120) being connected to the leg support member (40) via a power transmitting mechanism (90) which transmits power generated by the knee joint power generator (120) to the leg support member (40).

A walk assist device including a mechanism for mechanically providing a lifting force to lift a patient from a seated position and provide a weight support force to a patient at an individually adjusted height level along the length of an exercise run.

A diaphragm assist device includes a magnetic mat adapted for mounting inside a human body adjacent the diaphragm. The mat is made from a material responsive to application of an electromagnetic field so as to be movable into compressive relation with the diaphragm in response to application of the electromagnetic field thereto and movable out of the compressive relation to permit the diaphragm to relax when application of the electromagnetic field is discontinued. The device also includes an electromagnetic assembly adapted for surrounding the torso of the human body in functionally cooperative relation with respect to the mat, and for alternately generating and discontinuing the electromagnetic field so that the mat alternately moves into and out of the compressive relation with the diaphragm. The device also includes a controller constructed and arranged to control an intensity level of the electromagnetic field generated by the electromagnetic assembly.

A walking assistance device is capable of preventing a load transmit portion thereof from falling due to gravity when the operation of an actuator of the walking assistance device is stopped. A leg link is provided with an elastic member that imparts, to a third joint, an urging torque for restraining the flexion degree of the leg link from changing from a predetermined first flexion degree due to the gravity acting on the walking assistance device in a reference state wherein a foot-worn portion connected to the load transmit portion through the leg link is in contact with a ground and the flexion degree of the leg link the third joint is the first flexion degree.

An assist device that applies an auxiliary driving force to a joint in parallel with a driving force of a joint actuator between a thigh portion and a crus portion, which are a pair of link members of a leg. The assist device generates the auxiliary driving force by use of spring device, such as a solid spring or an air spring. A member supporting a rod member connected to the spring device is provided with a device for transmitting a bending and stretching motion of the leg at the joint (a relative displacement motion between the thigh portion and the crus portion) to the spring device to generate an elastic force of the spring device, and for discontinuing the transmission of the bending and stretching motion to the spring device. This transmitting device is controlled in accordance with a gait of a robot. Thus, a burden on the joint actuator is reduced where necessary and favorable utilization efficiency of energy can be stably ensured.