Systems and methods for actuating a prosthetic ankle based on a relaxed position

A prosthetic system for mimicking the natural movement of an ankle in a relaxed position, the prosthetic system comprising:

• a prosthetic foot;
• a pivot assembly attached to a first location on the prosthetic foot, wherein the first location is near a natural ankle location of the prosthetic foot;
• a lower limb member extending in a tibial direction, the lower limb member having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the lower end of the lower limb member is operatively coupled to the pivot assembly;
• and
• an actuator coupled to the prosthetic foot and to the lower limb member, wherein the actuator is configured to adjust an angle between the lower limb member and the prosthetic foot about the pivot assembly;
• at least one sensor configured to detect a position of a user of the prosthetic system;
• and
• a controller configured to operate the actuator;
• wherein the at least one sensor is configured to transmit data to the controller indicative of when the user is in a relaxed position, said relaxed position determined by the user positioning the prosthetic system within a range of defined angles relative to a ground surface for a defined amount of time and the prosthetic system having an acceleration less than a maximum threshold value, and wherein the controller is configured to operate the actuator to cause an angle between the prosthetic foot and the lower limb assembly to increase about the pivot assembly such that the prosthetic foot becomes more plantarflexed relative to the lower limb assembly.

A method for adjusting a prosthetic ankle device, the method comprising:

• monitoring with at least one sensor the movement of a user of a prosthetic ankle device;
• generating data indicative of the movement;
• processing the data with a processing module to determine whether the user is in a relaxed position;
• and
• adjusting the prosthetic ankle device based on whether the user is in a relaxed position, wherein adjusting the prosthetic ankle device comprises automatically adjusting a configurable element of the prosthetic ankle device.

A method for adjusting a prosthetic ankle device comprising a prosthetic foot and a limb member movably connected at a location about a natural human ankle joint, the method comprising:

• measuring with at least one sensor the angle of the prosthetic ankle device relative to a ground surface and an acceleration of the device;
• determining whether the angle of the prosthetic ankle device relative to the ground surface falls within a defined range of angles;
• determining whether the acceleration of the device is above or below a threshold acceleration;
• and
• adjusting an angle between the prosthetic foot and the limb member to a plantarflexed or dorsiflexed configuration upon determining that the angle of the ankle device relative to the ground surface falls within the defined range of angles and upon determining that the acceleration of the device is above or below the threshold acceleration.