# US 12,214,197 B2 · Apparatus for management of a Parkinson's disease patient's gait > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,214,197 B2 - Document ID: US12214197B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/535,920 - Filed: 2021-11-26 - Published: 2022-04-21 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-17 - Assignees: National University of Ireland, Galway - Applicants: National University of Ireland, Galway - Inventors: Gearóid Ó Laighin; Leo Quinlan; Dean Sweeney; Gavin Corley; James Feehilly; Patrick Browne - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214197B2 ## CPC - A61N 1/36067: {Movement disorders, e.g. tremor or Parkinson disease (stimulating motor muscle A61N1/36003)} - A61B 5/112: {Gait analysis} - A61H 1/00: Apparatus for passive exercising (A61H5/00 takes precedence); Vibrating apparatus; Chiropractic devices, e.g. body impacting devices, external devices for briefly extending or aligning unbroken bones - A61H 3/00: Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about (apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04 {; applying electrical currents by contact electrodes for stimulating motor muscles, e.g. walking assistance A61N1/36003}) - A61H 23/02: with electric or magnetic drive - A61N 1/36003: {of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance} - A61H 2003/007: {secured to the patient, e.g. with belts} - A61H 2201/10: with further special therapeutic means, e.g. electrotherapy, magneto therapy or radiation therapy, chromo therapy, infrared or ultraviolet therapy - A61H 2201/1638: Holding means therefor - A61H 2201/165: Wearable interfaces - A61H 2201/5007: computer controlled - A61H 2201/5023: Interfaces to the user - A61H 2201/5038: freely programmable by the user - A61H 2201/5079: Velocity sensors - A61H 2201/5084: Acceleration sensors - A61H 2230/105: used as a control parameter for the apparatus - A61H 2230/625: used as a control parameter for the apparatus - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61H: PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY (electrotherapy, magnetotherapy, radiation therapy or ultrasound therapy A61N) ## Abstract A gait management apparatus applies stimulation to a user suffering from a neurological disease (such as Parkinson's Disease) gait dysfunction. Motion sensors are arranged to be worn by a patient, and electrical stimulation electrodes are on the legs for stimulation. A controller receives motion sensing signals, and processes these signals to generate stimulation signals for operation of the electrodes to stimulate limb movement upon detection of a gait abnormality. There may be a user actuator for user actuation of electrical stimulation, and the inputs may be a series of taps. The controller may provide signals to prevent occurrence of freezing of gait when it senses that a patient is walking or has an intention to walk. Also, it may apply stimulation at an intensity level which is insufficient for functional muscle stimulation but sufficiently high to trigger activation of efferent nerves. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gait management apparatus comprising: at least one cueing actuator comprising at least one stimulation apparatus configured to be disposed at one or more cueing sites on each side of a patient's body to provide bilateral stimulation; a memory for storing a non-transitory computer program; a motion sensing system including one or more motion sensing elements, configured to detect motion of the patient; and a controller programmed to execute the program stored in the memory to allow the controller to activate cueing, wherein the at least one cueing actuator, the memory, and the controller are in electrical contact; and wherein the controller is programmed to: determine movement of a leg of the patient during a current stride; and activate cueing customized to the patient, in response to signals received from the motion sensing system, to provide stimulation to a contralateral arm of the patient, to enable a timing relationship between the movement of the contralateral arm of the patient with movement of the leg of the patient. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gait management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one stimulation apparatus is configured to provide electrical and/or haptic stimulation. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The gait management apparatus of claim 1, wherein: i) the controller is programmed to activate cueing based on fixed timings; and/or ii) the controller is programmed to activate cueing based on adaptive timings. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The gait management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one stimulation apparatus is disposed at a plurality of cueing sites on each side of the patient's body, and optionally wherein the cueing sites are located across a plurality of body parts. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The gait management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to: determine gait cycles of one or more previous strides and/or gait activity of the patient using signals received from the motion sensing system; and activate cueing for a current stride of the patient based on the gait cycles of the one or more previous strides and/or gait activity. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The gait management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensing system is configured to be disposed on an arm of the patient and/or on a leg of the patient. ### Claim 7 A gait management apparatus comprising: at least one cueing actuator comprising at least one stimulation apparatus configured to be disposed at one or more cueing sites on each side of a patient's body to provide bilateral stimulation; a memory for storing a non-transitory computer program; a motion sensing system including one or more motion sensing elements, configured to detect motion of the patient; and a controller programmed to execute the program stored in the memory to allow the controller to activate cueing, wherein the at least one cueing actuator, the memory, and the controller are in electrical contact; and wherein the controller is programmed to: determine movement of an arm of the patient during a current stride; and activate cueing customized to the patient, in response to signals received from the motion sensing system, to provide stimulation to a contralateral leg of the patient, to enable a timing relationship between the movement of the contralateral leg of the patient with movement of the arm of the patient. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The gait management apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one stimulation apparatus is configured to provide electrical and/or haptic stimulation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The gait management apparatus of claim 7, wherein: i) the controller is programmed to activate cueing based on fixed timings; and/or ii) the controller is programmed to activate cueing based on adaptive timings. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The gait management apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one stimulation apparatus is disposed at a plurality of cueing sites on each side of the patient's body, and optionally wherein the cueing sites are located across a plurality of body parts. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The gait management apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to: determine gait cycles of one or more previous strides and/or gait activity of the patient using signals received from the motion sensing system; and activate cueing for a current stride of the patient based on the gait cycles of the one or more previous strides and/or gait activity. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The gait management apparatus of claim 7, wherein the motion sensing system is configured to be disposed on an arm of the patient and/or on a leg of the patient.