Prosthetic with voice coil valve

A prosthetic device, comprising:

• a) a pair of prosthetic members movably coupled together to allow movement of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another;
• b) a hydraulic actuator or damper including hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic chamber coupled to one of the pair of prosthetic members, and a hydraulic piston movably disposed in the hydraulic chamber and coupled to another of the pair of prosthetic members, the hydraulic piston dividing the chamber into opposite sides;
• c) a hydraulic flow channel fluidly coupled between the opposite sides of the chamber to allow hydraulic fluid to move between the opposite sides of the chamber as the hydraulic piston moves therein;
• d) a hydraulic valve operatively coupled in the hydraulic flow channel including an orifice and a spool movable with respect to one another to selectively resist flow of the hydraulic fluid through the orifice;
• e) an electric actuator to move the orifice and the spool with respect to one another, including a permanent magnet and a coil movable with respect to one another, and reciprocally positionable with current polarity induced, bi-directional movement, by selectively changing a polarity of electric current applied to the electric actuator, such that the spool is selectively positioned and bi-directionally driven in back and forth directions, such that the hydraulic valve varies resistance to the flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel;
• f) the actuator having a substantially linear time and force response with a rapid response rate, capable of greater than 100 cycles per second, and a low power consumption less than 1.8 Watts;
• and
• g) the valve having a pair of different, substantially linear control regions including:
• a first region providing a region of control during slow extension/retraction of the hydraulic actuator or damper between 1.5 to 2.5 inches per second, and a second region providing a region of control during fast extension/retraction of the hydraulic actuator or damper between 6 to 8 inches per second.

A prosthetic knee device for an above knee amputee, the device comprising:

• a) a pair of prosthetic members including a thigh link configured to be coupled to a remnant limb of the amputee and pivotally coupled to a shank link configured to be coupled to an artificial foot, the thigh link and shank link being pivotally coupled together at a primary pivot to allow flexion and extension of the shank link with respect to the thigh link;
• b) a hydraulic actuator or damper including hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic chamber coupled to one of the pair of prosthetic members, and a hydraulic piston movably disposed in the hydraulic chamber and coupled to another of the pair of prosthetic members, the hydraulic piston dividing the chamber into opposite sides;
• c) a hydraulic flow channel fluidly coupled between the opposite sides of the chamber to allow hydraulic fluid to move between the opposite sides of the chamber as the hydraulic piston moves therein;
• d) a voice coil valve coupled to the hydraulic flow channel to vary resistance to flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel, and thus movement of the piston in the chamber, and thus pivoting of the pair of prosthetic members with respect to one another, the voice coil valve including:
• i) an orifice and a spool movable with respect to one another to selectively resist flow of the hydraulic fluid through the orifice;
• and
• ii) a permanent magnet and a coil, coupled to the valve to move the orifice and the spool with respect to one another, and movable with respect to one another, and reciprocally positionable with current polarity induced, bi-directional movement, by selectively changing a polarity of electric current applied to the electric actuator, such that the spool is selectively positioned and bi-directionally driven in back and forth directions, such that the hydraulic valve selectively varies resistance to the flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow channel;
• and
• e) the voice coil valve having a rapid response rate, capable of greater than 100 cycles per second, and a low power consumption less than 1.8 Watts.