AU2003286026B2

AU2003286026B2 - Instrumented prosthetic foot

Info

Publication number: AU2003286026B2
Application number: AU2003286026A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephane Bedard; Pierre-Olivier Roy
Original assignee: Victhom Human Bionics Inc
Current assignee: Victhom Human Bionics Inc
Priority date: 2003-11-18
Filing date: 2003-11-18
Publication date: 2009-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2023-11-18
Also published as: AU2010200238A1; CN1878517A; CN1878517B; CA2543061C; KR20060100427A; CA2543061A1; WO2005048887A1; JP4320017B2; AU2003286026A1; AU2010200238B2; JP2007511239A; KR101007946B1; EP1684676A1

Description

1 INSTRUMENTED PROSTHETIC FOOT BACKGROUND [Mere reference to background art herein should not be construed as an admission that such art constitutes common general knowledge in relation to the invention.] 5 As is well known to control engineers, the automation of complex mechanical systems is not something easy to achieve. Among such systems, conventional powered artificial limbs are notorious for having control problems. These conventional prostheses are equipped with basic controllers that artificially mobilize the joints without any interaction from the amputee and are only capable of 10 generating basic motions. Such basic controllers do not take into consideration the dynamic conditions of the working environment, regardless the fact that the prosthesis is required to generate appropriate control within a practical application. They are generally lacking in predictive control strategies necessary to anticipate the artificial limb's response as well as lacking in adaptive regulation enabling the 15 adjustment of the control parameters to the dynamics of the prosthesis. Because human limb mobility is a complex process including voluntary, reflex and random events at the same time, conventional prostheses do not have the capability to interact simultaneously with the human body and the external environment in order to have minimal appropriate functioning. 20 Accordingly, it is an object of the present application to obviate or mitigate some or all of the above disadvantages. SUMMARY According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a 25 controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising an elongated body comprising a foot plate and a heel plate being cantilevered from the foot plate, the foot plate comprising a toe region thereof, a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis, the connector being mounted on the elongated la body, and a pair of first and second sensors mounted on the elongated body, the first sensor being positioned at the underside of the heel plate and the second sensor being positioned at the underside of the foot plate at the toe region, wherein the pair of first and second sensors is configured to detect changes in weight 5 distribution along the prosthetic foot. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: an elongated body comprising a foot plate and a heel plate being cantilevered from the foot plate; a connector to connect the 10 instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis, the connector being mounted on the elongated body; and a pair of first and second sensors mounted on the elongated body, the first sensor being positioned between the connector and the elongated body, the second sensor being positioned at the foot plate; wherein the pair of first and second sensors is configured to detect changes in weight 15 distribution along the prosthetic foot. The second sensor may be positioned at a junction of the heel plate and the foot plate. Preferably, the first and second sensor include a strain sensor and/or a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor may be a force-sensing resistor. 20 Preferably, the instrumented prosthetic foot further comprises a rigid plate placed on at least one side of the first and second sensor. The first and second sensors may be sandwiched between respective first and second pairs of rigid plates. Preferably, the first pair of rigid plates is interposed between a first resilient pad and the heel plate and the second pair of rigid plates is 25 interposed between a second resilient pad and the foot plate. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: a bottom foot plate having a heel region and toe region thereof; a cushion core mounted to the elongate foot plate; a top lb foot plate mounted to the cushion core a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis; the connector being mounted to the top foot plate; and a pair of first and second sensors, the first sensor being positioned between the bottom foot plate and the cushion core at the toe region and the 5 second sensor being mounted to cushion core near the heel region; wherein the pair of first and second sensors is configured to detect changes in weight distribution along the prosthetic foot. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the 10 instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: an elongated body having a top and a bottom part; a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis; and a pair of load sensors interposed between and interconnecting the connector and the top part of the elongated body and positioned side by side in close proximity to support essentially the full load on the connector, the pair of load 15 sensors being configured to measure the load on the connector; wherein the pair of load sensors are so deformable as to provide for movement of the connector relative to the elongated body thereby sensing the load during movement of the connector in any direction. The bottom part of the elongated body may include a pair of basic underfoot 20 locations, the first region corresponding to the heel area of the human foot and second region corresponding to the toe area of the human foot. Preferably, a sensor of the pair of sensors is associated with each basic underfoot locations of the elongated body. There is disclosed herein an instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated 25 leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: an elongated body having a top and a bottom part; an ankle structure pivotally connected to the elongated body top part; a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis; a first sensor positioned on the ankle structure about its pivot axis with the elongated body, the first sensor being 30 configured to measure the rotation of the ankle structure about its pivot axis; and a IC second sensor interposed between the connector and the ankle structure, the second sensor being configured to measure the pressure force on the connector; wherein the connector is mounted to the elongated body top part via the second sensor. 5 There is also disclosed herein an instrumented prosthetic foot system for use with an actuated leg prosthesis, the system comprising: an instrumented foot comprising an elongated body having a top and a bottom part and a toe and a heel region; an ankle structure pivotally connected to the elongated body top part; a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis; a first 10 sensor positioned on the ankle structure about its pivot axis with the elongated body for measuring the rotation of the ankle structure about its pivot axis; and a second sensor interposed between the connector and the ankle structure for measuring the pressure force on the connector, and a controller for receiving data relative to the position of the ankle structure about its pivot axis from the first 15 sensor and to the pressure force on the connector from the second sensor, and for determining the torque between the elongated body top part and the connector using the received data. Preferably, the controller further determines the pressure force on the toe and the heel region of the elongated body using the received data. 20 The controller may determine the torque via the following equation: M = RANKLE* RCONST; where M is the torque; RANKLE is the data relative to rotation of the ankle structure about its pivot axis 25 measured by the first sensor; RCONST is a constant associated with the rotation of the ankle about its axis.

Id The controller may further determine the pressure force on the toe and the heel region of the elongated body via the following equation: FTOE = (M + Fs 2 ' LHEEL) HEELL + LTOE); FHEEL = (-M + Fs 2 - LTOE) HEELL + LTOE); 5 where Fs 2 is the pressure force measured by the second sensor; FTOE is the pressure force on the toe region of the elongated body; FHEEL is the pressure force on the heel region of the elongated body; LTOE is the distance between a center of the connector and a center of the toe 10 region; and LHEEL is the distance between the center of the connector and a center of the heel region. Preferably, the first sensor is an optical encoder and/or the second sensor is a load cell. 15 There is also disclosed herein an instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: an elongated body having a top and a bottom part; an ankle structure pivotally connected to the elongated body top part via a pivot member; a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis; a pair of first and 20 second spaced apart sensors interposed between the elongated body and the ankle structure with the pivot member positioned therebetween; and a third sensor interposed between the connector and the ankle structure, wherein the first and second sensors are configured to measure the pressure force on the elongated body and the third sensor is configured to measure the pressure force on the 25 connector.

WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. I shows the lower body of an individual provided with a prosthesis and an 5 instrumented prosthetic foot on one side and having a healthy leg on the other side. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system for a prosthesis having an actuating mechanism. FIG. 3 is a perspective view, from the front and slightly above, of a instrumented 10 prosthetic foot. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view, from the front and slightly above, of an alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 3. 15 FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a perspective view, from the front and slightly above, of another alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 3 FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the instrumented prosthetic foot of 20 FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is schematic view of forces exerted on a foot. FIG. 10 is a perspective view, from the front and slightly above, of a further still alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 3 FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the instrumented prosthetic foot of 25 FIG. 10.

WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 3 FIG. 12 is a perspective view, from the front and slightly above, of a yet further still alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 3 FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 12. 5 FIG. 14 is a perspective view, from the front and slightly above, of a further alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 3 FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the instrumented prosthetic foot of FIG. 14. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 10 The appended figures show a instrumented prosthetic foot (20) having sensors (22A, 22B) for use, in cooperation with possible additional sensors (24A, 24B, 26), with a control system (100) for controlling a prosthesis (14) having an actuating mechanism (16). It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated implementation since various changes and modifications may be 15 effected herein without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Referring therefore to FIG. 1 an individual (10) has a pair of legs (26) and (28), one of which, (26), is amputated above the knee. A prosthesis (14) is attached to the leg (26) and includes an actuating mechanism (16), which may be either passive or active. An instrumented prosthetic foot (20) is attached to the 20 prosthesis (14) and includes sensors (22A, 22B). Additional sensors (24A, 24B) are located on the healthy foot and additional sensors (26) located on the individual (10) and/or the prosthesis (14). A passive actuating mechanism may be generally defined as an electro-mechanical component that only absorbs mechanical energy in order to modify dynamics of mechanical joints of the 25 prosthesis, while an active actuating mechanism may be generally defined as an electro-mechanical component that absorbs and supplies mechanical energy in order to set dynamics of mechanical joints of the prosthesis.

WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 4 An example of a passive actuating mechanism is described in U.S. patent application No. 09/767,367, filed January 22, 2001, entitled "ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED PROSTHETIC KNEE". Examples of active actuating mechanisms are described in U.S. patent application No. 10/463,495 filed June 17, 2003, 5 entitled "ACTUATED PROSTHESIS FOR ABOVE-KNEE AMPUTEES", by Stephane B6dard et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The prosthesis (14) is controlled, as shown schematically in FIG. 2, by a basic control system (100) comprising sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B, 26), connected 10 through an interface (30) to a controller (40). The controller (40) provides signals to an actuating mechanism (16) in the prosthesis (14) , such as shown in FIG. 1. The purpose of the control system (100) is to provide the required signals for controlling the actuating mechanism (16). To do so, the control system (100) is interfaced with the amputee (10) using sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B, 26) to 15 ensure proper coordination between the arnputee (10) and the movements of the prosthesis (14). The sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B, 26) capture information, in real time, about the dynamics of the amputee's movement and provide that information to the controller (40) via the interface (30). The controller (40) then uses the information to determine the resistance to be applied to a joint, in the case of a 20 passive actuating mechanism, or the joint trajectories and the required angular force or torque that must be applied by a joint, in the case of an active actuating mechanism, in order to provide coordinated movements. The sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B, 26) may include myoelectric sensors, neuro sensors, kinematic sensors, kinetic sensors, strain gauges or plantar pressure 25 sensors. Myoelectric sensors are electrodes used to measure the internal or the external myoelectrical activity of skeletal muscles. Neuro-sensors are electrodes used to measure the summation of one or more action potentials of peripheral nerves. Kinematic sensors are used to measure the position of articulated joints, the mobility speed or acceleration of lower extremities. Kinetic sensors are used 30 to measure angular forces at articulated joints or reaction forces of lower extremities. Strain gages are used to measure the strain forces at a specific WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 5 underfoot area. Plantar pressure sensors are used to measure the vertical plantar pressure of a specific underfoot area. Of course, additional types of sensors which provide various information about dynamics of human locomotion may be used. For a given application, the use of sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B, 26) is not 5 restricted to a specific type of sensor, multiple types of sensors in various combinations may be used. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the sensors (22A, 22B, ) may comprise localized plantar pressure sensors located at spaced locations on the prosthetic foot (20) to measure the vertical plantar pressure of a specific underfoot area. Similarly, the 10 plantar pressure sensors (24A, 24B) located on the side of the healthy foot may be provided at spaced locations in a custom-made insole, preferably in the form of a standard orthopaedic insole, that is modified to embed the two sensors (24A, 24B) for the measurement of two localized plantar pressures. The sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B) are operable to measure the weight transfer along the foot as the 15 individual moves which may be combined with other sensors (26) such as kinematic sensors to measure the angular speed of body segments of the lower extremities and kinematic sensors to measure the angle of the prosthesis (14) knee joint. Each sensor (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B) may comprise a thin Force-Sensing Resistor 20 (FSR) polymer cell directly connected to the interface (30) of the control system (100) or indirectly using an intermediary system (not shown), for instance a wireless emitter. Of course, other types of communication link technologies may be used, such as, for example, optical. The FSR cell has a decreasing electrical resistance in response to an increasing force applied perpendicularly to the 25 surface thereof. Each cell outputs a time variable electrical signal for which the intensity is proportional to the total vertical plantar pressure over its surface area. The size and position of the plantar pressure sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B) may be defined in accordance with the stability and the richness (intensity) of the localized plantar pressure signals provided by certain underfoot areas during 30 locomotion. For example, it was found by experimentation that the heel and the toe regions are two regions of the foot sole where the Plantar Pressure Maximum WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 6 Variation (PPMV) may be considered as providing a signal that is both stable and rich in information. Accordingly, the controller (40) may use the data signals from the four localized plantar pressure sensors (22A, 22B, 24A, 24B), as well as the information 5 gathered from the data signals of the other sensors (26) such as kinematic sensors, in order to decompose the locomotion of the individual (10) into a finite number of states, and generate the appropriate control signals for controlling the actuating mechanism (16) according to the locomotion. Of course, the controller (40) is not limited to the use of the preceding data signals. 10 An example of a controller (40) and control system (100) using sensors comprising plantar pressure sensors as well as kinematic sensors is described in U.S. patent application No. 10/600,725 filed June 20, 2003, entitled "CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN ACTUATED PROSTHESIS", by St6phane B6dard, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by 15 reference herein. To facilitate the acquisition of the data in a repeatable and dependable manner, the sensors (22A, 22B) are incorporated in to the structure of the foot (20). An embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) is shown in more detail in FIGS 3 and 4. The instrumented prosthetic foot (20) includes a foot plate (53), 20 forming an elongated body, with a connector (51) at one end, a toe plate (55A) and a heel plate (55B) that is cantilevered from the foot plate (53). Such an arrangement is provided by, for example, a Vari-Flex@ prosthetic foot from Ossur. Pressure sensors (22A, 22B) are located at longitudinally spaced locations on the underside of the foot plate (53) and heel plate (55) respectively. The sensors 25 (22A, 22B) are covered by rigid plates (52A, 52B) and resilient pads (54A, 54B). The pressure sensors (22A, 22B) are located so as to be responsive to loads imposed on the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) at the regions corresponding to the toe area and the heel area respectively. The rigid plates (52A, 52B) covering the sensors (22A, 22B), although not 30 essential, help to optimize the pressure distribution on the entire surface of the WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 7 sensors (22A, 22B) as well as inhibiting any shearing and may be made of 85A durometer polyurethane. Of course, other type of material may be used as well. The pads (54A, 54B) wrap up the rigid plates (52A, 52B) and the sensors (22A, 22B), forming a ground engaging member, in order to optimize the contact 5 between the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) and the ground. The pads (54A, 54B) may be made of 40A durometer polyurethane. Of course, other type of material may be used as well. In operation, therefore, as the foot (20) traverses the ground, the force applied to the heel plate (55B) is measured by the sensor (22B) and a corresponding signal 10 forwarded to the controller (40). The force applied to the toe plate (55A) is also measured by the sensor (22A) and the relative loading between the two locations is measured. As the foot (20) continues to traverse the ground, the force applied to the toe area increases and that at the heel decreases to provide a pair of signals from which the disposition of the leg may be determined and the 15 appropriate control provided to the actuator (16). An alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) is shown in FIGS 5 and 6. The instrumented prosthetic foot (20) includes connector (61), foot plate (63), toe plate (64A) and heel plate (64B), such as provided by, for example, a Vari-Flex@ prosthetic foot from Ossur. Pressure sensors (22A, 22B) are located 20 between the foot plate (63) and rigid plates (62A, 62B). The pressure sensors (22A, 22B) are located so as to be responsive to load imposed on the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) at the regions corresponding to the toe area and the heel area respectively. More specifically, pressure sensor (22A) is sandwiched between a pair of rigid plates (62A), which in turn are positioned 25 between the heel plate (64B) and the foot plate (63). Pressure sensor (22B) is sandwiched between a pair of rigid plates (62B), which in turn are positioned between the foot plate (63) and the connector (61). As for the previous embodiment, rigid plates (62A, 62B) covering the sensors (22A, 22B), although not essential, help to optimize the pressure distribution on 30 the entire surface of the sensors (22A, 22B) as well as inhibiting any shearing and WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 8 may be made of 85A durometer polyurethane. Of course, other type of material may be used as well. Another alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) is shown in FIGS 7 and 8. The instrumented prosthetic foot (20) includes connector (71), 5 top foot plate (75), foam cushion core (73) and bottom foot plate (74), such as provided by, for example, a LP Talux@ prosthetic foot from Ossur. Pressure sensors (22A, 22B) are sandwiched between pairs of rigid plates (72A, 72B). The pressure sensors (22A, 22B) are located so as to be responsive to load imposed on the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) at the regions corresponding to the toe 10 area and the heel area respectively. More specifically, pressure sensor (22A) is sandwiched between a pair of rigid plates (72A), which in turn are positioned within gap (76A), which is located between a bottom foot plate (74) and a foam cushion core (73). Pressure sensor (22B) is sandwiched between a pair of rigid plates (72B), which in turn are positioned within gap (76B), which is located within 15 the foam cushion core (73). Again, as for the previous embodiments, rigid plates (72A, 72B) covering the sensors (22A, 22B), although not essential, help to optimize the pressure distribution on the entire surface of the sensors (22A, 22B) as well as preventing any shearing and may be made of 85A durometer polyurethane. Of course, other 20 type of material may be used as well. In the previous embodiments, the force (or pressure) at the toe and heel areas, F_toe and Fheel respectively, was obtained by positioning pressure sensors (22A, 22B) directly at those areas. More specifically, referring to FIG. 9, Ftoe and F-heel were obtained as follows: 25 Ftoe = F_toemeas Equation I F_heel = Fheelmeas Equation 2 In other possible embodiments of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20), sensors (22A, 22B) may not be restricted to being positioned directly at the toe and heel WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 9 areas, the equivalent information may be obtained by measuring the equivalent torque at the ankle and the axial force at the connector of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20). Fjtoe and Fheel may be defined in terms of the torque measured at the ankle, Manklemeas, and the force measured at the connector, 5 Fconnmeas, using the following equations: F toe = M ankle meas + (F _conn meas - heel) Equation 3 (l_ heel+_ _toe) F heel = -M ankle meas+(Fconn meas- Ltoe) Equation 4 (I_ heel+I_toe) where Heel is the distance between the center of the connector and the 10 center of the heel area; Itoe is the distance between the center of the connector and the center of the toe area. Following the previous discussion about the locations of sensors (22A, 22B), a further alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) is shown in 15 FIGS 10 and 11. The instrumented prosthetic foot (20) includes connector (81), foot plate (83), toe plate (84A) and heel plate (84B), such as provided by, for example, a Vari-Flex@ prosthetic foot from Ossur, and load cells (22A, 22B). Load cells (22A, 22B) are located below connector (91), load cell (22A) being slightly biased towards the toe area of the foot and load cell (22B) being slightly biased 20 towards the heel area. Since the sensors (22A, 22B) are not located directly at the toe and heel areas, Equation 3 and Equation 4 may be used, for example by controller (40), to compute the equivalent pressures at the toe and heel areas by defining the equivalent torque at the ankle and the axial force at connector (81) as follows: 25 Fconn meas = F_22B + F_22A Equation 5 WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 10 M_anklemeas = F_22B .1-_22B-F_22A -1_ 22A Equation 6 where F_22B is the force measured at sensor 22B; F_22A is the force measured at sensor 22A; 5 1_22B is the distance between the center of the connector (81) and the center of sensor 22B; I_22A is the distance between the center of the connector (81) and the center of sensor 22A. In the previous embodiments of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20), the force (or 10 pressure) at the toe and heel areas, Ftoe and Fheel respectively, was obtained either by positioning pressure sensors (22A, 22B) directly at those areas or by positioning pressure sensors or load cells (22A, 22B) in other areas and obtaining the equivalent information by computing the equivalent torque at the ankle and the axial force at the connector. Other types of sensors may also be used to obtain 15 the equivalent torque at the ankle and the axial force at the connector. Such an example is illustrated by a further still embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20), which is shown in FIGS 12 and 13. The instrumented prosthetic foot (20) includes connector (91), mounted on pivoting ankle (93). Bumpers (92A, 92B) are positioned between the pivoting ankle (93) and rocker plate (95) located 20 on a foot plate (94). The pivoting ankle (93) is connected to the rocker plate (95) by a pivot pin (96). Such an arrangement is provided by, for example, an Elation@ prosthetic foot from Ossur. A load cell (22A) and an optical encoder (22B). are incorporated into the foot (20) to provide measurement of the distribution of forces along the foot (20). Load cell (22A) is positioned between connector (91) and 25 pivoting ankle (93). Optical encoder (22B) comprises reader (221) and disk (223). Reader (221) is located on pivoting ankle (93) while disk (223) is located on rocker plate (95) and encircles pivot pin (96). Once again, Equation 3 and Equation 4 may be used, for example by controller (40), to compute the equivalent pressures WO 2005/048887 PCT/CA2003/001802 11 at the toe and heel areas by defining the equivalent torque at the ankle and the axial force at connector (91) as follows: F_connmeas=F_22A Equation 7 M_anklemeas = Ranklemeas -R_const Equation 8 5 where F_22A is the force measured at sensor 22A; R_anklemeas is the rotation measurement of pivoting an kle (93) about pivot pin (96) as measured by optical encoder (22B); R_const is a constant associated with the resistance of bumpers 10 (92A, 92B) to compression, which constant varies depending in the material used. A yet further alternative embodiment of the instrumented prosthetic foot (20) is shown in FIGS 14 and 15. The instrumented prosthetic foot (20) includes connector (101), mounted on pivoting ankle (103). Bumpers (102A, 102B) are 15 positioned between the pivoting ankle (103) and rocker plate (105) located on a foot plate (104). The pivoting ankle (103) is connected to the rocker plate (105) by a pivot pin (106). Such an arrangement is provided by, for example, an Elation@ prosthetic foot from Ossur. Pressure sensors (22A, 22B) and load cell (22C) are incorporated into the foot (20) to provide measurement of the distribution of forces 20 along the foot (20). Pressure sensor (22A) is positioned between rocker plate (85) and bumper (82A) while pressure sensor (22B) is positioned between rocker plate (85) and bumper (82B). A load cell (22C) is positioned between connector (91) and pivoting ankle (93). In this embodiment, Equation 6 is used to compute the equivalent torque at the 25 ankle, while the axial force at connector (101) is computed using the following equation: 12 F_conn _meas = F_22C Equation 9 Load cell (22C) is required to compute the axial force at connector (101) since when there is no torque at the ankle, i. e. the wearer of the prosthesis is standing still, the axial force is being exerted in its entirety onto pivot pin (96). 5 In all of the described embodiments, the sensors (22A, 22B) may be directly connected to interface (30) of control system (100) or indirectly using an intermediary system (not shown), for instance a wireless emitter. Of course, other types of communication link technologies may be used, such as, for example, optical. 10 Other types of non-articulated or articulated prosthetic foot may be used as well as long as the selected prosthetic foot provides approximately the same dynamical response as the ones mentioned here above. Nevertheless, an articulated foot offers the best performances. The instrumented prosthetic foot (20) may further have an exposed metal or composite structure or it may have a cosmetic covering 15 that gives it the appearance of a human ankle and foot. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to its use with the mechanical configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 or the control system (100) illustrated in FIG. 2. It may be used with a leg prosthesis having more than one joint. For instance, it may be used with a prosthesis having an ankle joint, a 20 metatarsophalangeal joint or a hip joint in addition to a knee joint. Moreover, instead of a conventional socket a osseo-integrated devices could also be used, ensuring a direct attachment between the mechanical component of the prosthesis and the amputee skeleton. Other kinds of prostheses may be used as well. Throughout this specification, including the claims, where the context permits, the 25 term "comprise" and variants thereof such as "comprises" or "comprising" are to be interpreted as including the stated integer or integers without necessarily excluding any other integers.

Claims

1. An instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: an elongated body comprising a foot plate and a heel plate being cantilevered from the foot plate, the foot plate comprising a toe region thereof; a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis, the connector being mounted on the elongated body; and a pair of first and second sensors mounted on the elongated body, the first sensor being positioned at the underside of the heel plate and the second sensor being positioned at the underside of the foot plate at the toe region; wherein the pair of first and second sensors is configured to detect changes in weight distribution along the prosthetic foot.

2. An instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: an elongated body comprising a foot plate and a heel plate being cantilevered from the foot plate; a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis, the connector being mounted on the elongated body; and a pair of first and second sensors mounted on the elongated body, the first sensor being positioned between the connector and the elongated body, the second sensor being positioned at the foot plate; wherein the pair of first and second sensors is configured to detect changes in weight distribution along the prosthetic foot. 14

3. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 2, wherein: the second sensor is positioned at a junction of the heel plate and the foot plate.

4. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second sensor include a strain sensor.

5. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second sensor include a pressure sensor.

6. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor is a force-sensing resistor.

7. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a rigid plate placed on at least one side of the first and second sensor.

8. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second sensor are sandwiched between respective first and second pairs of rigid plates.

9. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 8, wherein the first pair of rigid plates is interposed between a first resilient pad and the heel plate and the second pair of rigid plates is interposed between a second resilient pad and the foot plate.

10. An instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: a bottom foot plate having a heel region and toe region thereof; a cushion core mounted to the elongate foot plate; a top foot plate mounted to the cushion core a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis; the connector being mounted to the top foot plate; and 15 a pair of first and second sensors, the first sensor being positioned between the bottom foot plate and the cushion core at the toe region and the second sensor being mounted to cushion core near the heel region; wherein the pair of first and second sensors is configured to detect changes in weight distribution along the prosthetic foot.

11. An instrumented prosthetic foot for use with an actuated leg prosthesis controlled by a controller, the instrumented prosthetic foot comprising: an elongated body having a top and a bottom part; a connector to connect the instrumented prosthetic foot to the leg prosthesis; and a pair of load sensors interposed between and interconnecting the connector and the top part of the elongated body and positioned side by side in close proximity to support essentially the full load on the connector, the pair of load sensors being configured to measure the load on the connector; wherein the pair of load sensors are so deformable as to provide for movement of the connector relative to the elongated body thereby sensing the load during movement of the connector in any direction.

12. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 11, wherein the bottom part of the elongated body includes a pair of basic underfoot locations, the first region corresponding to the heel area of the human foot and second region corresponding to the toe area of the human foot.

13. An instrumented prosthetic foot according to claim 12, wherein a sensor of the pair of sensors is associated with each basic underfoot locations of the elongated body.

14. An instrumented prosthetic foot as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, or Figs. 1 to 4 as modified by Figs 5 and 6, or Figs. 1 to 4 as modified by Figs 7 and 8, of the accompanying drawings.