Gait Assistance Thigh Phase Normalization for Accurate Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gait motion assisting apparatuses struggle to accurately recognize cycle gait motion timing due to variations in hip joint angle and angular velocity scales, which affect the calculation of torque values, making it difficult to provide precise gait assistance.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a thigh phase angle calculating unit that normalizes hip joint angles and angular velocities using stored coefficients, allowing for uniform rate of change in thigh phase angle over a gait cycle, enhancing the accuracy of cycle gait motion timing recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If hip joint angle and angular velocity are used directly to calculate thigh phase angle, then the calculation is simple, but the rate of change in thigh phase angle varies significantly over the gait cycle, reducing accuracy of gait motion timing recognition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing normalization coefficients (α and β) to scale the hip joint angle and angular velocity parameters. This transforms the raw parameters into normalized parameters that produce a more uniform rate of change in the thigh phase angle calculation, thereby improving gait motion timing recognition accuracy without adding significant system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing normalization coefficients based on individual user characteristics before actual gait assistance begins. This preliminary normalization setup ensures that subsequent thigh phase angle calculations use optimized parameters, improving accuracy while keeping the real-time processing simple
2Measurement precision
If normalization coefficients are introduced to uniform the rate of change in thigh phase angle, then the accuracy of recognizing cycle gait motion timing is improved, but the complexity of the calculation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the calculation parameters by introducing normalization coefficients α and β that scale the hip joint angle and angular velocity respectively. This parameter transformation uniformizes the rate of change in thigh phase angle across the gait cycle, improving timing recognition accuracy while maintaining relatively simple calculation structure
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically determining normalization coefficients based on individual user gait characteristics. The coefficients are calculated and stored once, then automatically applied to subsequent calculations, improving accuracy without requiring continuous manual adjustment or complex real-time processing
Data Source
AI summary
In a gait motion assisting apparatus of the present invention, a thigh phase angle calculating unit calculating a thigh phase angle divides an unnormalized hip joint angle obtained based on a angle-related signal from a thigh orientation detecting unit by a stored hip joint angle normalization coefficient to calculate a normalized hip joint angle, divides an unnormalized hip joint angular velocity obtained by differentiating the unnormalized hip joint angle by a stored hip joint angular velocity normalization coefficient to calculate a normalized hip joint angular velocity, and calculate the thigh phase angle by using the normalized hip joint angle and the normalized hip joint angular velocity.