CA-3035450-C - METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR BODY WEIGHT SUPPORT SYSTEM

CA3035450CCA 3035450 CCA3035450 CCA 3035450CCA-3035450-C

Abstract

A body weight support system includes a support track, a trolley, and a power rail. The support track has a first portion and a second portion. The trolley has a support assembly and a drive assembly. The support assembly is configured to support at least a portion of a body weight of a user. The drive assembly is configured to movably suspend the trolley from the first portion of the support track when the user moves along a first surface and is configured to movably suspend the trolley from the second portion of the support track when the user moves along a second surface separate from the first surface. The power rail is coupled to the support track and is configured to be in electrical contact with a portion of the trolley as the trolley moves along the first portion and the second portion of the support track.

Inventors

Arkady Glukhovsky
Todd CUSHMAN
Augustine SMITH

Assignees

BIONESS INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20170907
Priority Date: 20160909

Claims (11)

What is claimed is: 1. A body weight support system, comprising: a support track having a first portion with a slope substantially equal to zero and a second portion with a non-zero slope; a trolley having a support assembly and a drive assembly, the support assembly configured to support at least a portion of a body weight of a user, the drive assembly configured to suspend the trolley from the support track, the drive assembly having a drive wheel in contact with and configured to move along a surf ace extending along each of the first portion and the second portion of the support track to move the trolley along the first portion of the support track when the user moves along a first surface and to move the trolley along the second portion of the support track when the user moves along a second surface separate from the first surface, the drive assembly having a gear configured to engage a set of protrusions formed by the surface along the second portion of the support track to increase an amount of traction as the drive wheel moves the trolley along the second portion of the support track, the surface along the first portion of the support track being devoid of protrusions such that the gear is disengaged from the support track as the drive wheel moves the trolley along the first portion of the support track; and a power rail coupled to the support track, the power rail configured to be in electrical contact with a portion of the trolley as the trolley moves along the first portion of the support track and the second portion of the support track.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first surface has a first elevation and the second surface has a second elevation different from the first elevation.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first surf ace has a first elevation, the support assembly configured to support a predetermined portion of the body weight of the user as the user moves along the first surface, 44 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 the second surface has a second elevation different from the first elevation, the support assembly configured to support the predetermined portion of the body weight of the user as the user moves along the second surface, and the support assembly configured to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration as the user moves from the first surface to the second surface.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the support track has a third portion with a slope substantially equal to zero, the second portion of the support track disposed between the first portion and the third portion, the surface of the support track extending along the third portion allowing the drive wheel to move the trolley along the third portion of the support track when the user moves along a third surface separate from the second surface.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first portion of the support track is disposed at a first elevation associated with an elevation of the first surface and the third portion of the support track is disposed at a second elevation associated with an elevation of the second surface, the first elevation is different from the second elevation.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second surface is at least one of an incline, a decline, or a plurality of stairs.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the gear is allowed to freely rotate as the drive wheel moves along the surface of the support track to move the trolley along the first portion of the support track.
8. A body weight support system, comprising: a support track having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion, a slope of each of the first portion and the second portion being substantially equal to zero, a slope of the third portion being non-zero; and Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 a trolley having a support assembly and a drive assembly, the support assembly configured to support at least a portion of a body weight of a user, the drive assembly configured to suspend the trolley from the support track, the drive assembly having a drive wheel in contact with and configured to move along a surf ace extending along each of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion of the support track to move the trolley along the first portion of the support track when the user moves along a first surface, along the second portion of the support track when the user moves along a second surf ace separate from the first surface, and along the third portion of the support track as the user moves between the first surface and the second surface, the drive assembly having a gear configured to engage a set of protrusions formed by the surface along the third portion of the support track to increase an amount of traction as the drive wheel moves the trolley along the third portion of the support track, the surface along the first portion of the support track and the second portion of the support track being devoid of protrusions such that the gear is disengaged from the support track as the drive wheel moves the trolley along the first portion and along the second portion of the support track.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising: a power rail coupled to the support track, the power rail configured to be in electrical contact with a portion of the trolley as the trolley moves along the first portion of the support track, the second portion of the support track, and the third portion of the support track.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the support assembly is configured to support a predetermined portion of the body weight of the user as the trolley moves along the first portion of the support track, the second portion of the support track, and the third portion of the support track.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the support track is disposed at a first elevation associated with an elevation of the first surface and the second portion of the support track is disposed at a second elevation associated with an elevation of the second surface, the first elevation is different from the second elevation. 46 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the support track is disposed at a first elevation associated with an elevation of the first surface and the second portion of the support track is disposed at a second elevation associated with an elevation of the second surface, the first elevation is different from the second elevation, and the third portion of the support track is coupled between the first portion and the second portion. 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the gear is allowed to freely rotate as the drive wheel moves along the surface of the support track to move the trolley along the first portion of the support track and the second portion of the support track. 14. A method of using a body weight support system including at least a trolley and a support track having a surface extending along at least a first portion and a second portion of the support track, the trolley having a support assembly configured to support at least a portion of a body weight of a user and a drive assembly configured to movably suspend the trolley from the support track, the drive assembly including a drive wheel and a gear, the method comprising: advancing the drive wheel along the surface of the support track to move the trolley along the first portion of the support track in response to the user moving along a first surface; supporting a predetermined portion of the body weight of the user as the user moves along the first surface; advancing the drive wheel along the surface of the support track to move the trolley along the second portion of the support track in response to the user moving along a second surface separate from the first surface; supporting the predetermined portion of the body weight of the user as the user moves along the second surface; and adjusting the support assembly after advancing the trolley along the first portion of the support track and prior to advancing the trolley along the second portion of the support track, the adjusting of the support assembly being (1) in response to the drive wheel being advanced 47 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 along the surface of the support track to move the trolley along a third portion of the support track disposed between the first portion and the second portion and (2) such that the support assembly supports the predetermined portion of the body weight of the user, the gear configured to engage a set of protrusions formed by the surface along the third portion of the support track to increase an amount of traction between the drive assembly and the support track as the drive wheel moves the trolley along the third portion, the surface along the first portion of the support track and the second portion of the support track being devoid of protrusions such that the gear is disengaged from the first portion and the second portion of the support track as the drive wheel moves the trolley along the first portion and the second portion of the support track, respectively. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first surface has a first elevation and the second surface has a second elevation different from the first elevation, the first portion of the support track being disposed a predetermined distance above the first surf ace, and the second portion of the support track being disposed the predetermined distance above the second surface. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the third portion of the support track is coupled between the first portion and the second portion. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein a slope of each of the first portion and the second portion of the support track is substantially equal to zero, a slope of the third portion of the support track being non-zero. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the gear is allowed to freely rotate as the drive wheel moves along the surface of the support track to move the trolley along the first portion of the support track and the second portion of the support track. 48 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 19. A body weight support system, comprising: a support track having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion, a slope of each of the first portion and the second portion being substantially equal to zero, a slope of the third portion being non-zero; and a trolley having a support assembly and a drive assembly, the support assembly configured to support at least a portion of a body weight of a user, the drive assembly configured to movably suspend the trolley from the support track, the drive assembly having a drive wheel configured to move the trolley along the first portion of the support track when the user walks along a first surface having an elevation, along the second portion of the support track when the user walks along a second surface separate from the first surface and having an elevation different from the elevation of the first surface, and along the third portion of the support track as the user moves between the first surface and the second surface, the drive assembly having a gear configured to engage a set of protrusions along the third portion of the support track to maintain an amount of traction as the drive wheel moves the trolley along the third portion of the support track, each of the first portion and the second portion of the support track being devoid of protrusions. 20. The system of claim 19, further comprising: a power rail coupled to the support track, the power rail configured to be in electrical contact with a portion of the trolley as the trolley moves along the first portion of the support track, the second portion of the support track, and the third portion of the support track. 21. The system of claims 19 or 20, wherein the support assembly is configured to support a predetermined portion of the body weight of the user as the trolley moves along the first portion of the support track, the second portion of the support track, and the third portion of the support track. 49 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 22. The system of any one of claims 19-21, wherein the first portion of the support track is disposed a predetermined distance above the first surface and the second portion of the support track is disposed the predetermined distance above the second surface. 23. The system of any one of claims 19-22, wherein the support assembly is configured to transition from a first configuration to a second configuration different from the first configuration as the user moves from the first surface to the second surface. 24. The system of any one of claims 19-23, wherein the first portion of the support track is disposed at a first elevation associated with the elevation of the first surface and the second portion of the support track is disposed at a second elevation associated with the elevation of the second surface, the first elevation is different from the second elevation. 25. The system of any one of claims 19-24, wherein the first surface is a substantially flat surface and the second surface is a substantially flat surface, the first portion of the support track is a substantially flat portion of the support track parallel to the first surface and the second portion of the support track is a substantially flat portion of the support track parallel to the second surface. 26. The system of any one of claims 19-25, wherein the third portion of the support track is configured to move between a first position in which the third portion is adjacent to the first portion of the support track, and a second position in which the third portion is adjacent to the second portion of the support track. 27. The system of any one of claims 19-25, wherein the drive assembly is configured to movably suspend the trolley from the third portion of the support track as the user walks along a third surface disposed between the first surface and the second surface. 50 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the third surface has a first end adjacent to the first surface and a second end adjacent to the second surface, an elevation of the first end of the third surface being different from an elevation of the second end of the third surface. 29. The system of claims 27 or 28, wherein the third portion of the support track has a first end adjacent to the first portion of the support track and a second end adjacent to the second portion of the support track, an elevation of the first end of the third portion of the support track being different from an elevation of the second end of the third portion of the support track. 30. The system of any one of claims 27-29, wherein the third portion of the support track is fixedly coupled between the first portion and the second portion. 31. The system of any one of claims 27-30, wherein the third portion of the support track is substantially parallel to the third surface. 3 2. The system of any one of claims 2 7-30, wherein the third portion of the support track is nonparallel to the third surface. 51 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR BODY WEIGHT SUPPORT SYSTEM [1001] Background [1002] The embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods for supporting the body weight of a patient. More particularly, the embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods for supporting the body weight of a patient during gait training and/or gait therapy. [1003] Successfully delivering intensive yet safe gait therapy to individuals with significant walking deficits can present challenges to skilled therapists. In the acute stages of many neurological injuries such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or the like individuals often exhibit highly unstable walking patterns and poor endurance, making it difficult to safely practice gait for both the patient and therapist. Because of this, rehabilitation centers often move over-ground gait training to a treadmill where body-weight support systems can help minimize fall risks while raising the intensity of the training. [1004] While body-weight supported treadmill training promotes gains in walking ability, there are few systems for transitioning patients from training on a treadmill to safe, weightsupported over-ground gait training. Furthermore, since a primary goal of most individuals with walking impairments is to walk in their homes and in their communities rather than on a treadmill, it is often desirable that therapeutic interventions targeting gait involve over-ground gait training (e.g., not on a treadmill). [1005] In some instances, known gait support systems can be configured to provide bodyweight support for over-ground gait training; however, such know gait support systems can be limited in one or more ways. For example, in some instances, gait support system is configured to support a patient under static unloading, which can result in abnormal ground reaction forces and altered muscle activation patterns in the lower extremities. In addition, 1 Date re~ue/Date received 2024-03-05 WO 2018/049031 PCT/0S2017/050482 static unloading systems may limit the vertical excursions of a patient that prevent certain forms of balance and postma] therapy where a large range of motion is desired. Moreover, some such systems are configured to be adjusted to a desired level of support prior to a training session and are not configured to modulate the amount of body weight support in real time. [1006] In other known systems, the dynamics of a support system can impact the training of the patient For example, in some known systems, a patient can be supported by a passive trolley and rail system configured to support the patient -..vhile the patient physically drags the trolley along the overhead rail during gait therapy. ·while the trolley may have a relatively small mass, the patient may feel the presence of the mass, which in turn, can lead to patient compensation for the dynamics of the trolley. [1007] In other known systems, a patient can be supported by an active (e.g., motorized) trolley system; however, some such systems can have an inadequate or slow dynamic response and/or can have a limited range of motion (e.g., resulting from an attached power cable bundle or the like). Some known systems are farther limited to supporting a patient while the patient follows a predetermined path (e.g., defined by a range of motion of the trolley and/or defined by a track along which the trolley moves), which may limit, for example, a patient's lateral range of motion or the like. JVioreover, some know systerm, are configured to support a patient walking on a substantially fiat surface and cannot support the patient, for example, as the patient walks up and/or down stairs and/or otherwise as the patient ·walks through a change in elevation. [1008] Thus, a need exists for improved apparatus and methods for supporting the bodyweight of a patient during gate therapy Summary [1009] Apparatus and methods for supporting the body -..veight of a patient during gait therapy and/or training are described herein. In some embodiments, a body weight supp01t system includes a support track, a troUey, and a power rail. The support track has a first portion and a second portion. 'l11e trolley has a supprni assembly and a drive assembly. The support assembly is configured to support at least a portion of a body weight of a user. The drive assembly is configured to movably suspend the trolley from the first pmtion of the support track when the user moves along a first surface and is configured to movably suspend 2 WO 2018/049031 PCT/0S2017/050482 the trolley from the second portion of the support track when the user moves along a second surface separate from the first surface. The power rail is coupled to the support track and is configured to be in electrical contact with a portion of the trolley as the trolley moves along the first portion and the second portion of the support track. Brief Description of the Drmviligs [1010] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a body wei