Patent Landscape

Posted by Christian Stano on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 in Notebook.

Patent Landscape- Force Based Controller for Myoelectric Prostheses

Novelty of Device:

Force-based controller
Biomimetic muscle activity to hand posture coupling
Dynamic, continuous proportional control

Overview:

A preliminary patent search yielded a fairly open patent landscape for this device. Among the patents found and considered relevant, the claims used were specific to the mechanical hardware of the device or specific mathematical algorithmic tools used to translate EMG to actuation. Based on this, a system and algorithm described above can be developed that does not infringe on the found patents.

Section 1- Searches Performed

Search Term	Number of Patents Returned	Patents Analyzed (Refer to section II)
(upper limb prosthesis) AND (force controller)	6,217	1,2
(upper limb prosthesis) AND (force-based controller) AND (pattern recognition)	1,980	3
(upper limb prosthesis) AND (force-based controller) AND (hand posture)	2,981	4
(continuous myoelectric control) AND (arm prosthesis)	383	5

Showing 1 to 4 of 4 entries

Section II- Further Analysis

Section I Reference	Patent Number and Name	Relation to Device	Analysis
1	US20160331561A1 Bidirectional Limb Neuro-Prosthesis	Claims for an “Integrated closed-loop real-time limb neuro-prosthetic system comprising an artificial limb, a microprocessor, sensors, a signal conditioner, a stimulator, at least one EMG electrode and at least one sensory feedback electrode”	The claims contained in this patent pertain to the sensory feedback aspect of the prosthesis instead of the controller, so it is not applicable.
2	US20120004736A1 Systems and method for volitional control of jointed mechanical devices based on surface electromyography	Claims for a “Systems and methods for controlling a weight bearing member having at least one powered joint are provided...system includes a velocity reference module for receiving myoelectric control signals from a user...and generating a velocity reference for the powered joint based on the myoelectric control signals”	The claims are worded towards a lower extremity prosthesis and pertain to volitional control of the prosthesis during non weight-bearing activities
3	US20130338540A1 Systems and methods for hierarchical pattern recognition for simultaneous control of multiple-degree of freedom movements for prosthetics	Claims for “A method of hierarchical pattern recognition for simultaneous control of multiple degrees of freedom comprising: receiving a multi-cellular potential emanating from one or more living cells of a subject at a sensor comprising at least one electrode; extracting features from the multi-cellular potential at a processing device comprising a processor and memory; determining an intended joint movement of a prosthetic limb based on a hierarchical pattern recognition control scheme executing on the processor; and generating an output signal to actuate the intended joint movement at the prosthetic limb”	The claims surround the use of pattern recognition algorithms to interpret EMG signals and produce an output actuated response. The methods described and language used in the abstract define this algorithm to produce more fluid-like motions than currently available prosthesis controllers. This patent could contain potential conflicts.
4	US7313463B2 Biomimetic motion and balance controllers for use in prosthetics, orthotics and robotics	Claims for “A method for controlling the motion of a mechanism in an artificial appendage or a humanoid robot...providing a controller for processing current state input data indicating the current dynamic state of said mechanism and desired state input data indicating the desired dynamic state of said mechanism to produce output element acceleration data indicating the amount by which said elements should be accelerated so that said current dynamic state is altered to more nearly conform to said desired dynamic state”	The claims present a linearized model algorithm for creating a postural stability controller for a prosthesis or robotic appendage. They are more guided towards development of the linear model than their application to a force-based controller.
5	US20160074181A1 Systems And Methods For Postural Control Of A Multi-Function Prosthesis	Claims for “monitoring, using an electrode array, signals generated to set a posture of a prosthetic device mapping, using a processor, the signals of a point in a user specific posture space; and setting the posture of the prosthetic device based on the point in the user specific posture space.	This patent relates very closely to the project. It describes a method for mapping an EMG signal to a posture control space of a hand and a subsequent translation of that to a joint angle that is actuated by the prosthetic hand. There are two reasons why this patent may not pertain: 1. The patent is still an application and has been for several years and 2. The claims are specifically directed at the use of a posture control space and joint angle correlation algorithm which is very specific.

Showing 1 to 5 of 5 entries