1. A releasable hood hinge assembly, comprising:
a first link adapted to be connected to a vehicle hood;
a second link releasably coupled to the first link;
a releasable connector having a connected state in which it connects together the first and second links and defines a design position of the hinge assembly and a released state wherein relative movement is permitted between the first and second links to define a deployed position and a reset position of the hinge assembly;
a link control assembly having a reset member, a return block selectively engageable by the reset member, a landing and an overjump defined between the return block and the landing, where the landing is offset from the return block in two dimensions and where one dimension is in the direction of movement of the first link from the design position to the deployed position and the other dimension is different from said direction of movement so that when the hinge assembly moves from its design position to its deployed position the reset member is moved to the landing and when the hinge assembly is moved back toward the design position, the reset member is blocked from moving back to the design position.
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the reset member is connected to the second link and the first link moves relative to the reset member when the releasable connector is in its released state.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein a portion of the return block is in the same plane as the landing and an outer surface of the return block is not in the same plane as the landing.
4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the overjump includes a gap defined between the return block and the landing.
5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the overjump is defined at least in part by a stop surface that is adjacent to the landing, and when the hinge assembly is in its reset position, the reset member is overlapped with the stop surface in the direction of movement to inhibit movement of the hinge assembly away from the reset position in a direction toward the deployed position.
6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the reset member is cantilevered to the second link or the first link.
7. The assembly of claim 1 which also includes a retaining surface extending from the return block and a stop surface extending from the landing, where the retaining surface is out of plane from the landing and a portion of the return block is positioned laterally outwardly of the stop surface and landing.
8. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the overjump includes an entrance portion that has a width that is no more than 15% greater than the width of a corresponding portion of the reset member.
9. A releasable hood hinge assembly, comprising:
a first link adapted to be connected to a vehicle hood;
a second link having a first pivot about which the second link pivots in use;
a releasable connector having a connected state in which the releasable connector connects together the first and second links and defines a design position of the hinge assembly and a released state wherein relative movement is permitted between the first and second links to define a deployed position and a reset position of the hinge assembly, where the reset position is between the design and deployed positions;
a return block; and
a reset member defined by a cantilevered, flexible and resilient body fixed at one end and having a portion that is laterally bendable and selectively engageable with the return block upon resilient return of the reset member toward its unbent state so that the reset member engages the return block when the hinge assembly is in its reset position and when the reset member is engaged with the return block, movement of the first link relative to the second link toward the design position is inhibited to retain the hinge assembly in its reset position.
10. The assembly of claim 9 which also includes a positive stop spaced from and confronting the return block and an overjump defined between the positive stop and the return block, wherein the reset member is disposed within the overjump in the reset position of the hinge assembly and engageable with the return block in one direction of relative movement between the first link and second link and engageable with the positive stop in a direction of relative movement between the first link and second link that is opposite said one direction of movement.
11. A releasable hood hinge assembly, comprising:
a first link;
a second link having a first pivot about which the second link pivots in relation to the first link; the first and second links unified by a releasable connector in normal operation and unlocked in a crash operation to move relative to one another; and
a reset having a pre-crash condition, a post-crash deployed condition and a post-crash operating condition, the reset having a reset member, a return block, an overjump and a landing offset from the return block, the return block having a positive stop, wherein the reset member is idle in the pre-crash condition, engages the landing and is blocked by the positive stop from returning to the pre-crash condition in the post-crash operating condition;
wherein the first link pivots relative to the second link in a crash operation and one of the overjump and the reset member is carried by the first link for movement with the first link and relative to the other of the overjump and the reset member, and wherein the landing is offset from the return block in a direction not parallel to the direction of movement of the first link so that the reset member does not engage the return block when the reset is moved from its pre-crash condition to its post-crash deployed.
12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the reset also includes a second positive stop and the reset member engages the second positive stop in the post-crash operating condition to inhibit movement of the reset member away from the positive stop of the return block.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A powered gait orthosis comprising, a support structure, lifting means supported on said support structure for connection to a lifting harness secured to a patient, a treadmill for acting on the feet of a patient, said treadmill including opposite sides and opposite ends, drive means for driving said treadmill, a pair of spaced leg actuator assemblies disposed adjacent to said opposite sides of the treadmill, said leg actuator assemblies each including a support arm, a first depending arm supported by said support arm for pivotal movement about a first generally horizontal axis, a second depending arm supported by said first depending arm for pivotal movement about a second generally horizontal axis, depending arm drive means for moving said first and second depending arms about the pivot axes thereof, first attachment means for attaching said first depending arm to a patient’s leg just above the knee of the patient’s leg, second attachment means for attaching said second depending arm to a patient’s leg at the ankle of the patient’s leg, and control means connected to the drive means for said treadmill and the drive means for said first and second depending arms to direct the various drive means to operate in a coordinated manner to cause the legs of a patient to move in a desired gait.
2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said support arms is substantially horizontal and is mounted for swinging movement about a vertical axis so as to swing outwardly away from said treadmill.
3. A device as defined in claim 2 including locking means for locking said support arm in operative position.
4. A device as defined in claim 1 whrein said lifting means is movably mounted on said support structure.
5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein said lifting means includes a parallelogram linkage.
6. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said treadmill is interconnected to said leg actuator assemblies.
7. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the drive means for moving said first and second depending arms of each leg actuator assembly comprises a pair of servo motors supported by the support arm of the associated leg actuator assembly.
8. A device as defined in claim 7 wherein a first one of said servo motors is interconnected by a first belt and a second belt with a first pulley drivingly connected to said second depending arm, and a second one of said servo motors is interconnected by a third belt with a second pulley drivingly connected to said first depending arm.
9. A device as defined in claim 8 wherein said first belt is interconnected with a third pulley which is drivingly connected to said first pulley by a third belt.
10. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said first attachment means is supported on said first depending arm and is vertically adjustable relative thereto.
11. A device as defined in claim 10 wherein said first attachment means includes a support member, and including locking means for locking said support member in adjusted position relative to said first depending arm.
12. A device as defined in claim 11 wherein said first attachment means includes a first attachment cuff pivotally supported by said support member.
13. A device as defined in claim 12 wherein said first attachment cuff is horizontally adjustable relative to said support member, and including locking means for locking said first attachment cuff in adjusted position relative to said support member.
14. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said second attachment means is supported by said second depending arm said second depending arm including a guide rod, said second attachment means including a linear bearing slidably mounted on said guide rod, and a constant force counter balance spring being connected to said linear bearing.
15. A device as defined in claim 14 including a laterally extending arm connected to said linear bearing, said second attachment means including a second attachment cuff pivotally supported by said arm.
16. A device as defined in claim 15 wherein said second attachment cuff is horizontally adjustable relative to said arm, and including locking means for locking said second attachment cuff in adjusted position relative to said arm.
17. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said second axis defines a knee joint axis, and including a first and second sensor means supported by said first depending arm, said first sensor means sensing the knee joint home position, and said second sensor means sensing over-travel of the knee joint.
18. A device as defined in claim 1 including a control panel supported by said support structure adjacent one end of said treadmill, a pivoted linkage extending from said panel and supporting a touch screen data entrydisplay device.
19. A powered gait orthosis comprising, a rigid framework, lifting means mounted on said framework and adapted to be secured to a lifting harness attached to a patient, a treadmill for acting on the feet of a patient, said treadmill having opposite sides, drive means for said treadmill, a pair of spaced leg actuator assemblies disposed at said opposite sides of the treadmill, said leg actuator assemblies each including a housing, a support arm supported by said housing, adjusting means for moving said support arm vertically with respect to said housing, a first depending arm having upper and lower ends, the upper end of said first depending arm being pivotally supported by said support arm, a second depending arm having upper and lower ends, the upper end of said second depending arm being pivotally supported by the lower end of said first depending arm, first depending arm drive means for moving said first depending arm about the pivot axis thereof, second depending arm drive means for moving said second depending arm about the pivot axis thereof, first attachment means adjacent the lower end of said first depending arm for attaching said first depending arm to a patient’s leg just above the knee of the patent’s leg, second attachment means adjacent the lower end of said second depending arm for attaching said second depending arm to a patient’s leg at the ankle of the patient’s leg, and control means connected to the drive means for said treadmill and the drive means for said first and second depending arms to direct the various drive means to operate in a coordinated manner to cause the legs of a patient to move in a desired gait.
20. A device as defined in claim 19 wherein said lifting means is movably mounted on said framework.
21. A device as defined in claim 20 including rails mounted on said framework, said lifting means being slidable along said rails.
22. A device as defined in claim 21 including locking means for locking said lifting means in operative position along said rails.
23. A device as defined in claim 19 wherein said adjusting means comprises a carriage movable along guide rods supported by said housing, said carriage being connected to said support arm.
24. A device as defined in claim 23 including drive means connected with a lead screw engaging a threaded bushing carried by the carriage for moving the carriage in opposite vertical directions.
25. A device as defined in claim 19 including a pair of hand holds extending toward one another, each of said hand holds being supported by one of said housings.
26. A device as defined in claim 19 wherein said support arm is substantially horizontal and is mounted for swinging movement about a a generally vertical axis so as to swing outwardly away from said treadmill.
27. A device as defined in claim 19 wherein said treadmill is connected to each of said housings.
28. A device as defined in claim 19 wherein said first attachment means is supported by said first depending arm and includes a first attachment cuff the position of which is adjustable both horizontally and vertically with respect to said first depending arm.
29. A device as defined in claim 19 wherein said second attachment means is supported by said second depending arm and includes a second attachment cuff the position of which is adjustable both horizontally and vertically with respect to said second depending arm.
30. A device as defined in claim 29 wherein said second attachment cuff floats vertically by being slidably mounted on a guide rod of said second depending arm.
31. The method of simulating a normal walking pattern for a patient comprising, providing a patient with harness, providing a powered lifting device, attaching the harness to the lifting device, lifting the patient and lowering the patient onto a powered treadmill, proving a powered leg actuator assembly including two leg actuator portions at one side of the treadmill, attaching the first leg actuator portion to the ankle of one leg of the patient, attaching the second leg actuator portion at a point just above the knee of said one leg of the patient, providing control means to separately and independently control the speed of movement of the treadmill, the first leg actuator portion and the second leg actuator portion to coordinate the movement of the patient’s leg to cause the leg to move in a desired gait.
32. The method of claim 31 including the step of varying the height of said first and second leg actuator portions relative to the treadmill in accordance with the height of a patient.
33. The method of claim 31 including the step of proving hand holds which are grasped by the patient while the patient’s leg is being moved to stabilize the patient’s torso.
34. The method of claim 31 including the step of sensing over-travel of the first leg actuator portion to stop the drive means for the first leg actuator portion to prevent damage to a patient’s knee.
35. The method of simulating a normal walking pattern for a patient comprising, providing a patient with harness, providing a powered lifting device, attaching the harness to the lifting device, lifting the patient and lowering the patient onto a powered treadmill, proving a pair of powered leg actuator assemblies at opposite sides of the treadmill, each of said leg actuator assemblies including two leg actuator portions, attaching the first leg actuator portion at one side of the treadmill to the ankle of one leg of the patient, attaching the second leg actuator portion at said one side of the treadmill at a point just above the knee of said one leg of the patient, attaching the second leg actuator portion at the opposite side of the treadmill to the ankle of the other leg of the patient, attaching the second leg actuator portion at the opposite side of the treadmill at a point just above the knee of the other leg of the patient, providing control means to separately and independently control the speed of movement of the treadmill, each of the first leg actuator portions and each of the second leg actuator portions to coordinate the movement of the patient’s legs to cause the leg to move in a desired gait.
36. The method of claim 31 including the step of varying the height of said first and second leg actuator portions of either of or both of the leg actuator assemblies relative to the treadmill in accordance with the height of a patient.
37. The method of claim 31 including the step of providing hand holds which are grasped by the patient while the patient’s legs are being moved to stabilize the patient’s torso.
38. The method of claim 31 including the step of sensing over-travel of the first leg actuator portion of each of the leg actuator assemblies to stop the drive means for the associated first leg actuator portion to prevent damage to a patient’s knee.