Dynamic Rope Support for Gait Training
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for physical activity, such as gait training, limit the variety of movements a user can perform while being supported, as they typically involve static suspension from a lift line, restricting the range of motion.
Innovation Solution
A device with ropes connected to drive units and deflection devices that allow for three-dimensional movement, using rope forces to unload the user, with a controlling unit to manage rope forces and position for dynamic support and movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a user is statically suspended from a lift line while walking on a treadmill, then the user is supported safely, but the variety of physical activities and range of motion are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static suspension to dynamic support by introducing multiple movable ropes with drive units that can actively adjust rope lengths and forces. The deflection devices enable the ropes to move in three dimensions, allowing the system to adapt to various physical activities while maintaining safe support through controlled rope forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds spatial dimensions to the support system by using multiple ropes that can deflect in three-dimensional space. Instead of a single vertical lift line, the system employs ropes that can move horizontally and vertically, enabling a wider range of motions including lateral movements, rotational movements, and varied walking patterns.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ropes and deflection devices are used to enable three-dimensional movement, then the variety of physical activities increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the ropes and deflection devices to serve multiple functions. The same ropes provide both support forces and enable three-dimensional movement. The deflection devices serve as both movement enablers and force transmission elements, reducing the need for separate components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into integrated components. The drive units are integrated with the rope system, and the deflection devices are integrated into the rope path, creating a unified system where support and movement enablement work together through shared components rather than separate systems.
3Force
If drive units retract and release ropes to generate rope forces, then the user can be unloaded during physical activity, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a control system that monitors the positions of deflection devices and user movements, then adjusts rope forces accordingly. The controlling unit receives information about the current state of the system and modifies the retraction and release of ropes to maintain appropriate support forces during various physical activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the movements of the user and the positions of deflection devices as input signals that automatically trigger appropriate rope force adjustments. The control system responds to the user's own movements by calculating and applying the necessary rope forces to provide appropriate unloading support without requiring external intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus and method for unloading a user's body weight during a physical activity of said user, particularly for gait training of said user, comprising: a plurality of ropes, wherein each rope extends from an associated drive unit, is deflected by a passively displaceable deflection device, e.g. a device that is displaceable by means of the forces in the deflected ropes, and then runs to a first free end of the respective rope, and a node being coupled to said first free ends and being designed to be coupled to said user, wherein the drive units are designed to retract and release the respective rope so as to adjust a current rope force along the respective rope, which current rope forces add up to a current resulting force exerted on said user via said node in order to unload the user upon said physical activity.