US 12,403,061 B2
Body weight load reduction device
Tomoyuki Noda, Kyoto (JP); Tatsuya Teramae, Kyoto (JP); Asuka Takai, Kyoto (JP); Junichiro Furukawa, Kyoto (JP); Jun Morimoto, Kyoto (JP); and Nao Nakano, Kyoto (JP)
Assigned to Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/596,138
Filed by Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed Jun. 5, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/022304
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 3, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/246587, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-106469 (JP), filed on Jun. 6, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0241132 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. A61H 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61H 3/008 (2013.01) [A61H 2201/1238 (2013.01); A61H 2201/14 (2013.01); A61H 2201/5007 (2013.01); A61H 2201/5061 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A body weight unloading apparatus for unloading a body weight of a user, comprising:
a first actuator;
a second actuator;
a first support member having a proximal end and a distal end, whereby the distal end is connected to the first actuator, and the proximal end is to be fitted to the user such that a first unloading force supplied by the first actuator acts on one leg of the user;
a second support member having a proximal end and a distal end, whereby the distal end is connected to the second actuator, and the proximal end is to be fitted to the user such that a second unloading force supplied by the second actuator acts on the other leg of the user;
a sensor configured to measure information indicating an imbalance between floor reaction forces respectively acting on the legs of the user; and
a control device configured to control operations of the first actuator and the second actuator,
wherein the control device is configured to:
acquire the information indicating the imbalance between the floor reaction forces measured by the sensor,
determine respective magnitudes of the first unloading force and the second unloading force, according to the imbalance between the floor reaction forces indicated by the acquired information, and
control the first actuator and the second actuator, so as to generate the first unloading force and the second unloading force at the respectively determined magnitudes,
wherein the imbalance between the floor reaction forces is represented by a first ratio of the floor reaction force acting on the one leg to a total of the floor reaction forces acting on both legs, and a second ratio of the floor reaction force acting on the other leg to a total of the floor reaction forces acting on both legs,
wherein the body weight unloading apparatus is configured to determine the respective magnitudes of the first unloading force and the second unloading force by determining the magnitude of the second unloading force according to the first ratio, and determining the magnitude of the first unloading force according to the second ratio, and
wherein
determining the magnitude of the second unloading force according to the first ratio is constituted by:
computing a first product of the first ratio and a first proportional constant,
computing a first sum of the computed first product and a first constant term, and
employing the computed first sum as a value of the second unloading force, and
determining the magnitude of the first unloading force according to the second ratio is constituted by:
computing a second product of the second ratio and a second proportional constant,
computing a second sum of the computed second product and a second constant term, and
employing the computed second sum as a value of the first unloading force.