Gait Assisting Apparatus Using Hip Joint Angle Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gait assisting devices for users with paralysis or stroke-induced leg disabilities fail to provide suitable gait assistance due to their reliance on detecting and controlling forces based on the movement of the lower leg, which often cannot perform normal gait motions, and do not easily adapt to individual user states during the gait cycle.
Innovation Solution
A gait motion assisting apparatus that includes an actuator unit and a terminal device, where the actuator unit is attached to a knee-ankle-foot orthosis and detects the hip joint angle to calculate the thigh phase angle, allowing for the calculation of gait motion timing and the application of assisting force based on pre-set patterns, enabling wireless communication for manual adjustment of assisting force settings and timing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If operational control for the actuator is performed based on movement of the lower leg, then the control system can provide assistance, but suitable gait assisting force cannot be provided for users with paralysis or stroke who cannot perform normal lower leg gait motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the control approach by detecting thigh movement (hip joint angle) instead of lower leg movement (knee joint angle). Since the thigh can perform relatively normal gait motion even when the lower leg is paralyzed, using thigh movement as the detection basis allows the system to reliably determine gait phase and provide appropriate assisting force to the lower leg, resolving the contradiction between control reliability and user adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the thigh as an intermediary element for gait detection. Instead of directly detecting lower leg movement (which fails in paralysis), the system detects thigh movement as an intermediate indicator that correlates with the overall gait cycle, enabling indirect but reliable control of the actuator based on functional thigh motion
2Ease of operation
If the gait assisting device detects movement of the control target site (thigh or lower leg), then operational control can be performed, but the system does not easily adapt to individual user states during the gait cycle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adaptability by allowing the detection timing and assisting force application timing to be independently adjusted according to individual user gait patterns. The system can dynamically modify the phase relationship between detection and assistance, enabling each user to have their gait cycle characteristics incorporated into the control strategy, thus achieving both ease of operation and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables parameter adjustment of detection timing and assistance application timing to adapt to individual user states. By changing these temporal parameters, the system can be tuned to match different gait patterns and user conditions, maintaining operational simplicity while achieving personalized adaptation
Data Source
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AI summary
A gait motion assisting apparatus of the present invention includes an actuator unit (100) controlling driver (110) so that assisting force obtained by applying gait motion timing based on detected thigh phase angle to output pattern saved data is imparted to lower leg, and a terminal device (600) capable of wireless-communicating with control device (500) of the actuator unit (100). The terminal device (600) can receive assisting force setting value including assisting force imparting period during gait cycle and create, based on the assisting force setting value, output pattern setting data indicating a relationship between the gait motion timing and a size of assisting force to be imparted to the lower leg. The control device (500) is configured to overwrite-save the output pattern setting data received from the terminal device (600) as the output pattern saved data.