Patent ID: 11911307
Assignee: nan
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 32:
33. A knee brace comprising:
a flexible sleeve that comprises a flexible fabric;
a memory device configured to store a reference configuration of the flexible sleeve;
a first sensor configured to detect a configuration of the flexible sleeve;
a sleeve tightening mechanism configured to adjust a tightness of the flexible sleeve; and
a controller configured to receive an output signal representing, or indicative of, the detected configuration from the first sensor, compare the detected configuration with the reference configuration, and control the sleeve tightening mechanism based on a result of a comparison of the detected configuration of the flexible sleeve and the reference configuration of the flexible sleeve;
wherein the first sensor is configured to measure an angle of bending of the flexible sleeve, and the reference configuration of the flexible sleeve comprises a reference angle of bending of the flexible sleeve;
wherein the sleeve tightening mechanism is configured to apply a variable amount of force to tighten the flexible sleeve, and the force is dependent on the measured angle of bending of the flexible sleeve; and
wherein the controller is configured to control the sleeve tightening mechanism to apply a larger force to tighten the flexible sleeve upon detecting that the measured angle of bending is greater than the reference angle of bending, and the greater the difference between the measured angle of bending and the reference angle of bending, the larger the force applied to tighten the flexible sleeve.