Automatic actuator control by leg load signal of active AFO for Achilles tendon ruptures.
This paper describes automatic actuator control hardware for an active ankle foot orthosis (AAFO) for a ruptured Achilles tendon. The sole of the AAFO is equipped with a servomotor. The actuator can switch the upright and the forward stepping posture of the patient. To control the actuator automatically during a gate cycle, 1: joint kinematics were analyzed that consisted of both stick pictures and EMG signals from the affected limb when the patient was walking on a treadmill. The cross-correlation coefficient between the ankle angle and the EMG signal of the lower limb (tibialis anterior) was small when the patient was wearing the AAFO. 2: An air pressure sensor and a film sensor were compared experimentally to measure the leg load. A prototype AAFO with automatic control was realized by using the leg load signal provided by an air pressure sensor to realize actuator control.
Yoshizawa
Nobuyuki
N
Nippon Institute of Technology, Minami-Saitama, Saitama, Japan. yosizawa@nit.ac.jp
D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000293:injuries*; D000842:Ankle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D004576:Electromyography; D005528:Foot / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D012421:Rupture / Q000534:rehabilitation*