Patent · US Expired

Portable controllable fluid rehabilitation devices

US5711746A · kind A · utility

115Cited by
30References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 11, 1996
Grant dateJan 27, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 11, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S482/903
  • WIPO fieldFurniture, games
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

A portable controllable fluid device (20a) for rehabilitation of injured limbs, appendages and joints (33a). The rehabilitation device (20a) includes a first bracket (22a) for fixedly securing to a first body part, such as a lower leg (25), a second bracket (24a) for fixedly securing to a second body part, such as a foot (26), and a controllable fluid brake (27a) such as a magnetorheological fluid brake including a magnetorheological fluid contained therein having a carrier fluid and disbursed magnetic particles, attached between the first bracket (22a) and second bracket (24a). The controllable fluid brake (27a), preferably acts in a rotary fashion and provides resistive forces about an axis adjacent said body joint (33a) to exercise the muscles upon movement of said first bracket (22a) relative to said second bracket (24a) resulting from movement of the user's first body part relative to the second body part. The device (20a) is portable and can be used to rehabilitate, for example, a wrist, elbow, knee or ankle joint in the user's home. The device (20a) allows variable adjustment of the level of resistance felt by the rehabilitating user by adjusting a controller (28a). In anoth…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.