Joint device for artificial leg, method and control unit for controlling the joint device
AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYuji Yasui
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Abstract
There is provided a joint device for an artificial leg, which makes it possible to dramatically achieve reduction of the weight of a power source and an increase in duration of the same, as well as facilitates knee bending/stretching motion, toe-up motion, and kicking motion. The joint device has an above-knee member and an under-knee member spaced from each other. Three expansible links are connected between the above-knee member and the under-knee member, for accumulating energy generated by the weight of a user's body acting on the artificial leg, and operating by releasing the accumulated energy to actuate the under-knee member into joint motion.
Claims36
A joint device for an artificial leg, comprising:
- an upper member;
- a lower member spaced from said upper member;
- and
- an actuator connected between said upper member and said lower member, for accumulating energy generated-by a weight of a user's body acting on the artificial leg, and operating by releasing the accumulated energy to actuate said lower member into joint motion.
A method of controlling a joint device for an artificial leg, the joint device including an upper member and a lower member spaced from each other, and an actuator connected between the upper member and the lower member,
- the method comprising:
- an accumulation step of causing the actuator to accumulate therein energy generated by a weight of a user's body acting on the artificial leg;
- and
- a release step of causing the actuator to release the accumulated energy to thereby actuate the lower member into joint motion.
A control unit including a control program for causing a computer to control a joint device for an artificial leg, the joint device including an upper member and a lower member spaced from each other, and an actuator connected between the upper member and the lower member,
- wherein the control program causes the computer to cause the actuator to accumulate therein energy generated by a weight of a user's body acting on the artificial leg, and cause the actuator to release the accumulated energy to thereby actuate the lower member into joint motion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.