Patent ID: 11938050
Assignee: BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A  B

Claim 10:
11. An orthosis device comprising:
a first support member configured to be coupled to a leg of a person;
a second support member configured to be coupled to the leg to which the first support member is coupled of the person;
a plurality of sensors configured to measure forces exerted on the orthosis device, wherein the forces exerted on the orthosis device include a gravitational force;
an actuator configured to apply a torque to the first or second support member; and
a controller configured to control the torque applied by the actuator, wherein:
the leg to which the first support member and the second support member are coupled of the person is modeled as a first kinematic chain when the leg to which the first support member and the second support member are coupled of the person is in a stance phase;
the leg to which the first support member and the second support member are coupled of the person is modeled as a second kinematic chain when the leg to which the first support member and the second support member are coupled of the person is in a swing phase;
the gravitational force exerted on the orthosis device is estimated through models of the first and second kinematic chains;

the torque is controlled to counteract the gravitational force exerted on the orthosis device estimated through models of the first and second kinematic chains and wherein the torque is not controlled to direct the orthosis device in a pre-determined pattern of motion;
the controller comprises a control system;
the control system is configured to shape a closed-loop potential energy of the person and the orthosis device;
the closed-loop potential energy of the person and the orthosis device has modified mass parameters or modified gravity parameters;
the torque applied by the actuator is kinetically controlled via a nonlinear control method; and
the torque is calculated using a kinematic model of only the leg to which the orthosis device is coupled, wherein the kinematic model depends on the coordinates of the leg to which the orthosis device is coupled.