POSTURE-DEPENDENT ACTIVE TORSO SUPPORT

摘要

An active torso support that controls force applied to one or more portions of a torso of a subject in response to detected posture of the subject is described. The active torso support includes one or more elements for applying force to the torso of the subject, positioned on the torso of the subject by a positioning element, which may include a belt, for example. Posture of the subject can be determined at least in part from a height measurement. In some aspects posture may be determined in part from additional measurements, e.g., inclination or force. For example, the torso support can be a back brace for providing support to the back of a subject to limit or prevent injury or discomfort.

主权项

1. An active torso support, comprising:
at least one force applying element adapted to apply force to a portion of a torso of a subject; at least one positioning element adapted to position the at least one force applying element with respect to the torso of the subject; and control circuitry including:
posture determination circuitry configured to generate a signal indicative of a posture of the subject based at least in part on a time history of the height of a portion of the active torso support; andactuation circuitry configured to control actuation of the at least one force applying element responsive to the signal indicative of the posture of the subject.