Control system for exoskeleton apparatus

Abstract

A control system for an exoskeleton for a limb of a user wherein the limb has an upper portion connected to the body of a user and a lower limb portion is provided. The control system controls operation of one or more drive motors that rotate one or more joints of the exoskeleton. Input signals from pressure sensors and positional sensors are monitored and, when the input signals fall within expected values, one or more control actions may be implemented.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling an exoskeleton apparatus with at least one actuator for manipulating a limb of the exoskeleton, the method comprising:
 providing a plurality of sensors coupled to the exoskeleton, each of the sensors configured to detect a physiological characteristic;   receiving input signals from each of the sensors to generate an input profile;   mapping the input profile to a selected profile of a plurality of movement profiles, each of the movement profiles corresponding to a control action, wherein each of the movement profiles includes one or more expected values from at least two of the sensors; and   implementing the control action.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising re-generating the input profile periodically. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the mapping is repeated each time the input profile is re-generated. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the movement profiles is associated with an active mode of the exoskeleton, and wherein implementing the control action comprises providing a control signal to the at least one actuator when the selected profile is associated with the active mode. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the movement profiles is associated with an inactive mode of the exoskeleton, and wherein implementing the control action comprises providing no control signal to the at least one actuator when the selected profile is associated with the inactive mode. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the physiological characteristic is a positional characteristic for at least one of the sensors. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one accelerometer, and wherein the positional characteristic comprises an acceleration. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one gyroscope, and wherein the positional characteristic comprises at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of roll, yaw and pitch. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one force sensor, and wherein the physiological characteristic is a force. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the input profile comprises an indication of a previous movement profile. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the input profile comprises an interface input indication. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the movement profiles is predefined based on possible movements of the exoskeleton. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the movement profiles is predetermined based on at least one patient characteristic. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of movement profiles are stored in a memory of the apparatus. 
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for controlling an exoskeleton with at least one actuator for manipulating a limb of the exoskeleton, the apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of sensors coupled to the exoskeleton, each of the sensors configured to detect a physiological characteristic;   a controller configured to receive input signals from each of the sensors; and   a processor configured to:
 generate an input profile based on the input signals; 
 map the input signals to a selected profile of a plurality of movement profiles, each of the movement profiles corresponding to a control action, wherein each of the movement profiles includes one or more expected values from at least two of the sensors; and 
 implement the control action. 
   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to re-generate the input profile periodically. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to repeat the mapping each time the input profile is re-generated. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the movement profiles is associated with an active mode of the exoskeleton, and wherein the control action is implemented by providing a control signal to the at least one actuator when the selected profile is associated with the active mode. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein at least one of the movement profiles is associated with an inactive mode of the exoskeleton, and wherein the control action is implemented by providing no control signal to the at least one actuator when the selected profile is associated with the inactive mode. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the physiological characteristic is a positional characteristic for at least one of the sensors. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one accelerometer, and wherein the positional characteristic comprises an acceleration. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one gyroscope, and wherein the positional characteristic comprises at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of roll, yaw and pitch. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises at least one force sensor, and wherein the physiological characteristic is a force. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the input profile comprises an indication of a previous movement profile. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising a patient input interface, wherein the input profile comprises an interface input indication from the patient input interface. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein each of the movement models is predefined based on possible movements of the exoskeleton. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein each of the movement profiles is predetermined based on at least one patient characteristic. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising a memory configured to store the plurality of movement models. 
     
     
         29 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out a method of controlling an exoskeleton apparatus with at least one actuator for manipulating a limb of the exoskeleton, wherein a plurality of sensors are coupled to the exoskeleton, each of the sensors configured to detect a physiological characteristic, the method comprising:
 receiving input signals from each of the sensors to generate an input profile;   mapping the input profile to a selected profile of a plurality of movement profiles, each of the movement profiles corresponding to a control action, wherein each of the movement profiles includes one or more expected values from at least two of the sensors; and   implementing the control action.