Camera-Guided Unweighting Rail System for 3D Gait Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unweighting systems are limited by distortion of ambulation movement, difficulty for wheelchair users, constrained linear exploration, high cost, complex installation, and lack of three-dimensional freedom, with servo-assisted systems requiring motors above the user and stiffening connections.
Innovation Solution
An unweighting system with a support structure, motor, and a movement system equipped with a camera for markerless skeletal tracking, allowing three-dimensional movement and real-time interaction detection, and a control system with PID controllers for precise force adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If three-dimensional unweighting systems are implemented to allow three-dimensional exploration, then the user's freedom of movement is improved, but the system size, cost, and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the unweighting function into independent axes: a vertical lifting axis (Z) handled by a single motor, and horizontal axes (X, Y) handled by passive mechanical rails and sliding elements. This segmentation allows three-dimensional movement capability while reducing the number of active servo-motors required, thereby lowering system complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a camera-based markerless tracking system as an intermediary to detect user position and movement in 3D space. This replaces complex mechanical sensors and control systems with an optical detection system, reducing device complexity while maintaining or enhancing the three-dimensional exploration capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If servo-assistance is applied on all three axes to enable three-dimensional movement, then the user's mobility is improved, but the system cost and electrical consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the motor assistance function: only the vertical lifting motion (Z-axis) receives active servo-assistance from a single motor, while the horizontal movements (X, Y axes) are enabled through passive mechanical guidance systems. This reduces the number of powered axes from three to one, significantly lowering electrical consumption while maintaining three-dimensional movement freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical rail and sliding element system is designed to be self-servicing for horizontal movements, using gravity and mechanical constraints to guide motion without requiring continuous motor input. The system leverages the user's own body weight and the mechanical structure to enable horizontal exploration, reducing the energy burden on the motor system.
3Force
If the lifting motor is placed above the user to reduce gravity load, then the unweighting effectiveness is improved, but the user's ability to perform translations in the perpendicular plane is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera-based detection system as an intermediary that tracks the user's position and movement in real-time. This allows the control system to dynamically adjust the lifting force and horizontal guidance based on actual user motion, enabling smooth translations in the perpendicular plane while maintaining effective gravity reduction from the overhead motor position.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic control where the lifting force and horizontal positioning are continuously adjusted based on real-time user position data from the camera system. This dynamic adaptation allows the overhead motor to effectively reduce gravity while the mechanical rails and active control enable fluid translations in the perpendicular plane, resolving the static limitation.
4Device complexity
If a cable without special body is used for lifting, then the system simplicity is improved, but the transmission of transverse forces to the positioning system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera-based detection and control system as an intermediary between the simple cable lifting mechanism and the user. This system detects user position and orientation, calculates appropriate compensation forces, and adjusts the lifting cable tension dynamically. This allows the simple cable system to handle transverse forces through intelligent control rather than mechanical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the tension parameter in the lifting cable based on real-time detection of user position and movement. By continuously adjusting the cable tension force according to the user's actual state, the system can compensate for transverse forces and maintain stable positioning while keeping the mechanical cable system simple and avoiding complex force transmission paths.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables up to 80% unweighting with three-dimensional freedom, reduces installation complexity, enhances safety through real-time balance monitoring, and eliminates the need for marker application, providing precise and efficient data acquisition.
Implementation Method 1
the unweighting system is characterized by the fact that it comprises a markerless technology camera configured to detect a location of the subject in space
Implementation Method 2
a cable associated with the sliding element and driven by the motor to reduce the gravity load of the subject along said first axis Z
Data Source
AI summary
According to the disclosure, an unweighting system is provided to reduce the gravity load of a subject due to the weight acting along a first Z axis, the unweighting system including a support structure, motor and subject movement system mounted on the support structure. The movement system includes a first rail and a second rail parallel to a second Y axis; a third rail parallel to a third axis perpendicular to the second Y axis, wherein the third rail extends between the first rail and the second rail and is configured to slide along the first and second rails in order to move along the second Y axis; a sliding element configured to slide along the third rail in the direction of the third X axis; a cable associated with the sliding element and driven by the motor to reduce the subject's gravity load in the direction of the first axis; a supporting element for the subject, associated with the cable. The unweighting system includes a camera configured to detect a subject's position in space.