Patent ID: 9737419
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. A method for controlling a motorized, artificial limb having an actuator, the actuator comprising a motor coupled in series with an elastic element, to apply a torque characteristic to a joint, the method comprising the steps of: applying a voltage to windings of the motor; measuring the torque characteristic at the joint; computing, using a hardware controller, a torque characteristic error as a difference between a target torque characteristic and the measured torque characteristic, the computing comprising applying a model in which a back electromotive force (EMF) of the motor occurs; and controlling, using the hardware controller, the applied voltage independently of motor current, to reduce the torque characteristic error, the controlling comprising estimating a speed of the motor, and using the estimated speed of the motor to cancel the back EMF in the model.