Loading patent…
AssigneesNorthwestern University, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, The Department of Veteran Affairs
InventorsAndrew H. Hansen, Jonathon W. Sensinger
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates to an improved system for use in rehabilitation and/or physical therapy for the treatment of injury or disease to the lower limbs or extremities. The system can enable an amputee to proceed over any inclined or declined surface without overbalancing. The system is mechanically passive in that it does not utilize motors, force generating devices, batteries, or powered sources that may add undesirable weight or mass and that may require recharging. In particular the system is self-adapting to adjust the torque moment depending upon the motion, the extent of inclination, and the surface topography. An additional advantage of the improvement is that the system can be light and may also be simple to manufacture.
An improved passive adaptive ankle-foot prosthesis comprising a footplate, a housing pivotally connected to the footplate, a first cam connected to the footplate, a second cam for engagement with the first cam, a bracket pivotally secured to the housing so as to be attachable to a leg, wherein the bracket is fixedly attached to the second cam, wherein the second cam is in movable contact with a part of the first cam, the first cam and second cam comprising a cam clutch system, and wherein the footplate comprises an anterior plantar portion and a posterior portion, a torsion member associated with the footplate, and the posterior portion of the footplate comprising an aperture shaped and adapted to confine at least one neutralizing element and a spacer, the neutralizing element being operatively connected to the spacer and the spacer is connected to the housing.
An ankle-foot prosthesis comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.