Active Trolley Body-Weight Support System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current body-weight support systems for gait therapy are limited by static unloading mechanisms, lack of continuous modulation, bulky motorized trolleys, and complex cable management, which restrict patient mobility and therapist interaction, leading to abnormal gait patterns and instability.
Innovation Solution
A body-weight support system featuring an actively controlled trolley suspended from a support track, equipped with sensors and an electronic system that adjusts weight distribution and movement in real-time, allowing for dynamic support and improved gait therapy by minimizing the need for cumbersome cables and enabling precise control of the trolley's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a passive trolley and rail system is used to support the patient, then the patient can be supported during gait therapy, but the trolley mass creates dynamics that destabilize the patient and require compensatory gait strategies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the passive mechanical trolley system with an active motorized trolley that uses sensors and control systems to detect patient movement and actively compensate for disturbances. The motorized system counteracts trolley dynamics in real-time, eliminating the destabilizing effects of passive mechanical systems while maintaining patient support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by using sensors to detect patient gait characteristics and trolley position, then using this information to actively adjust motorized support. This closed-loop feedback system allows the trolley to respond to patient movements dynamically, preventing destabilization and correcting gait deviations in real-time.
2Reliability
If a motorized trolley system is used to follow patient movement, then patient support is improved, but the system response is delayed and the trolley feels heavy and bulky to the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the trolley system dynamic by using motorized actuation that can adjust support forces in real-time based on patient movement. The system transitions from static passive support to dynamic active support, allowing the trolley to follow patient gait patterns closely without delay and adjust to changing movement requirements during therapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the trolley system by using motorized control to adjust support forces, velocity, and position dynamically. The electronic control system modifies these parameters in real-time based on sensor feedback, enabling rapid response to patient movements and eliminating the heavy, sluggish feel of passive mechanical systems.
3Extent of automation
If a bundle of power cables and control cables is used to power and control the motorized trolley, then the trolley can be motorized, but the cable bundle reduces trolley travel and presents routing and management challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power and control connections from a cumbersome cable bundle and implements wireless communication between the trolley and control system. This eliminates the physical cable bundle entirely, removing routing and management challenges while maintaining full motorized control and power supply to the trolley system.
4Reliability
If static unloading is used with fixed-length shoulder straps, then the patient is supported, but abnormal ground reaction forces and altered muscle activation patterns occur in the lower extremities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static unloading with dynamic support that actively adjusts to patient movement during gait therapy. The motorized trolley system modulates support forces in real-time to match natural gait dynamics, preventing abnormal ground reaction forces and muscle activation patterns that occur with fixed static support systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the support parameters from fixed static values to dynamically adjusted values that vary with patient gait phase and movement characteristics. The electronic control system continuously modifies support force magnitude and timing based on sensor feedback, restoring natural ground reaction forces and muscle activation patterns while maintaining patient safety.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus includes a drive mechanism, a patient support mechanism, and an electronic system. The drive mechanism is included in a trolley and is configured to suspend the trolley from a support track. The drive mechanism includes a first sensor configured to sense an operating condition of the drive mechanism. The patient support mechanism couples to the trolley and includes a tether and a second sensor. The tether can be operatively coupled to a patient such that the patient support mechanism supports the patient. The second sensor is configured to sense an operating condition of the patient support mechanism. The electronic system is included in the trolley and has at least a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to define a gait characteristic of the patient based at least in part on a signal received from the first sensor and a signal received from the second sensor.