INTERACTIVE REHABILITATION DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 63/444,982 filed Feb. 12, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT AND TRADE DRESS NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright or trade dress protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matter that is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an interactive mobile rehabilitation device, and more particularly to a device that acts as a passive tilt table and an inclined exercise device with load cell and motion sensing technology useful for the rehabilitation of patients with severe muscle weakness.

2. Description of Related Art

This background information is intended to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art and may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art that is not to be construed as limiting the disclosure of the present application.

Recent medical advances have allowed more patients to survive serious injuries or disease processes than ever before. Unfortunately, the period of bed rest required for recovery may lead to severe deterioration of muscle strength and the inability to support full body weight upon standing. It is challenging for rehabilitation specialists to help these patients regain muscle strength with traditional exercise equipment and the challenge is especially great for obese patients.

A recent advancement in rehabilitation of severely weak hospitalized patients is a therapeutic exercise device for hospitalized patients invented by the first inventor of this application (U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,656). This mobile exercise device, known as the Moveo XP, involves a sliding carriage on a mobile base that allows patients to perform a leg press exercise using a portion of their body weight, depending on the incline of the table. This technique allows patients to begin partial-body-weight strengthening until they have adequate strength to begin standing.

Unfortunately, the Moveo XP has several limitations in clinical application. Disadvantages with this device are that it is unable to tilt to a fully upright position allowing patients to walk off the end of the footplate, which is desirable for ICU patients with hip flexion restrictions. The maximal slope on this device is 30-degrees which impedes patients from walking off the footplates. U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,656 showed a tilting function to near upright, however the use of a single actuator on the head side of the table with a pivot point in line with the railing system is unstable for users of significant size. The table will shift forwards when fully upright near 90-degrees of incline because the user's weight traveling over the pivot point would cause an unsafe tipping motion anteriorly. Another problem is that the exercise device does not lower less than 24 inches to allow a wheelchair sliding transfer or allow a Hoyer transfer lift device to fit underneath for a Hoyer transfer due to constraints in the base height. Yet another problem is that the range of motion of the carriage assembly cannot be easily changed from either side of the device, nor can the carriage be locked to the railing system from either side. A pin in holes must be inserted to limit travel or lock the carriage and it must be performed on both sides, taking additional time. For users of size, the Moveo has several problems such as the gas spring mechanism used to elevate the head on the carriage section. This action requires significant force and can drop suddenly with obese users. In addition, the left and right footplates do not allow adjustment when a significant load is applied to them due to the lack of a powered mechanism. The left and right footplates also do not have a safety mechanism in place if the footplates are positioned in a flattened position and the device is tilted to a near upright position. This could cause significant harm to a user and damage to the device if the table is adjusted to the upright position and the footplates are forced downwards into the floor causing mechanical failure. Yet another problem is that the device lacks interaction with a patient during exercise sessions. It has no visual display of the resistance or ability to play games to make exercise sessions enjoyable for users and enhance activity tolerance with longer therapy sessions. Although loading on the footplates with a display was disclosed in the Trees U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,656, many patients are unable to view numbers or may not understand due to a cognitive impairment from a neurological impairment, such as a stroke or brain injury. Finally, the device does not have side rails for patient safety in case a user's weight was shifted laterally while tilted in the upright position. The lack of side rails could cause a patient to fall sideways off the device causing serious injury.

It would be desirable if a mobile exercise device was able to convert into a fully upright tilt table with an automatic safety set-up of the footplates and head section with adequate strength of lifting actuators and frame. It would be desirable if the device also lowered to a height less than 23 inches to allow sliding transfers from a wheelchair and could accommodate a Hoyer lift transfer. It would also be desirable to have improved maneuverability and ease of steering and locking with complete stability of the casters with one lever. It would be desirable for the exercise device to provide easy to understand visual/auditory biofeedback of movement on the sliding carriage making the activity enjoyable with games with objective measures of movement distance and resistance of exercise. It would be desirable if the footplates on the mobile exercise device encompassed an LED array to display the amount of force on each footplate that correlated with the maximum strength of the severely weakened patient. In addition, it would be desirable if the footplates communicated so that the higher PEAK force was used to show the maximum LED array instead of independent weight scales that did not communicate. Such an advancement would allow for patients with unilateral weakness to relearn symmetrical weight-bearing through the lower extremities during exercise. It would be desirable if the carriage locking mechanism on the rails was easily changeable from either side of the carriage as well as the range-of-motion limit of the carriage on the rails allowing shallow squats or deep squats on the device. It would be desirable if the device was designed for users of size with powered means of raising the head section of the carriage and adjusting the footplate angles under a load. Such advancement in the mobile exercise platform would allow for less equipment needs, less storage space, and safer exercise sessions for users of all sizes with severe muscle weakness.

3. Advantages of the Invention

Among the advantages of the invention is that it functions as a traditional tilt table tilting to the upright position and as a mobile sliding-carriage strength training apparatus for users with severe muscle weakness. Another advantage of the invention is that it uses resistance against the patient's own body weight and elastic tensioning tubing to increase strength, range of motion, and conditioning for severely weak patients. Another advantage of the invention is that it provides an easy ability for therapists to limit the carriage travel from either side of the table to change the intensity of the exercise and lock the carriage in place on the linear rails. Another advantage of the invention is that it has side rails that drop down and tuck under the carriage to allow lateral transfers from a beds surface without a transfer gap. Still another advantage of a preferred embodiment of the invention is that it provides visual and auditory biofeedback for successful exercise sessions via a graphical user interface or smart tablet with a distance sensor and microcontroller unit with Bluetooth technology. In addition, it provides visual feedback for symmetrical loading during exercise via a LCD display and an array of LEDs as force is applied to the footplates. The LED array can also be used by therapists to prescribe the optimal exercise intensity on the mobile exercise device determined by the PEAK force for pre-ambulation strengthening activities such as weight-shifting from one limb to the other.

Additional advantages of this invention will become apparent from an examination of the drawings and the ensuing description.

SUMMARY

The invention comprises a mobile exercise device which includes a base and a support frame that is pivotally mounted on the base, said support frame having a first end and a second end. A carriage is mounted for sliding movement along at least a portion of the support frame between a lower position and an upper position, said carriage being adapted to support at least a portion of the body of a patient. The carriage glides on a linear glide mechanism. Linear actuators are located at the head assembly to elevate the head section, under the support frame to allow tilting to 80-degrees or more, and one actuator attached to each footboard to change the slope of the footplates. The controller of the actuators has an automatic safety setup for the tilt table mode. When the table is tilted beyond 30-degrees and the thigh section support engages a safety sensor, the table's actuators automatically set-up the table for tilt table mode: the footboard's actuators extend to a 10-degree slope allowing walk-off, the column actuators lower to the lowest height, and the carriage assembly is lowered to a flat position. Once completed, the controller only allows tilting of the upper frame assembly to stand a patient to the near upright position and the footplates lower to a flat position on the floor for walk off.

The invention also comprises two scale plates fully integrated into each footplate assembly to dynamically measure applied force on each scale plate. Each scale plate will operate independently but be connected to one microcontroller unit (MCU). Each scale has its own LCD display located in the upper medial corner of each scale plate and an array of LEDs on the top of each scale plate to provide visual feedback proportional to the “PEAK” force being applied. A means to set the PEAK as the patient applies force to each scale plate is provided which will be mapped to represent the full scale of the LED array. One skilled in the art may use two independent scales with LED displays that light up with weight bearing applied through the footplate. The patentable material for this device and unobvious to one skilled in the art is that the two scales communicate with each other and share the larger PEAK force which is then mapped to the 30 LED light bar. This arrangement allows severely weak patients who can only exercise with minimal resistance use the entirety of the LED bar graph.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, and a detailed description thereof follows. It is not intended, however, that the invention be limited to the particular embodiments described or to use in connection with the apparatus illustrated herein. Various modifications and alternative embodiments such as would ordinarily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates are also contemplated and included within the scope of the invention described and claimed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The presently preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a rehabilitation device in an upright position in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the rehabilitation device in the upright position;

FIG. 3 a rear perspective view of the rehabilitation device;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the rehabilitation device;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the rehabilitation device in the upright position;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the rehabilitation device;

FIGS. 7-9 show an exploded view of a base;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a rail assembly;

FIGS. 11-14 show views of a powered footplate assembly;

FIG. 15 show a carriage assembly;

FIG. 16 is an exploded view of the carriage assembly;

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of a powered backrest;

FIGS. 18-20 show a carriage bilateral locking mechanism;

FIGS. 21-24 show views of a range of motion limiter;

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of a seat assembly;

FIG. 26 shows a view of the seat assembly attached to the rail assembly;

FIG. 27-34 show views of a side rail assembly;

FIG. 35 shows a view of a compression cylinder;

FIG. 36 shows a legal support pad for unilateral leg exercise;

FIG. 37 is a schematic of an actuator controller;

FIGS. 38-41 show views of the footplate assembly incorporating load cells;

FIGS. 42-46 show views of a load cell feedback display;

FIGS. 47-50 illustrate load cell technology in the footplate assembly;

FIGS. 51-53 show views of a hoist tilting mechanism; and

FIG. 54 is an exploded view of a tilting frame lifting subassembly.

Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein. While the apparatus of the present application is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail. It should be understood that the description of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a mobile rehabilitation device 1 uniquely designed for rehabilitation of severely deconditioned patients. The device 1 shown is considered to be the presently preferred embodiment of the inventions described herein. FIG. 1 displays the table in the fully upright position with the knee strap 14, waist strap 13, and chest strap 12 attached and securing the user to the device 1. The side rail assembly 110 is positioned upright for patient safety and can be tucked under the device when released for a zero transfer gap during transfers from a hospital bed. A tilting foot controller to control the incline 10 is located on each side of the base 2 to allow therapists to tilt the table hands-free and physically assist a patient with their hands. Elevating foot controller 11 is also located on the base 2 for raising or lowering the device during lateral transfers from a hospital bed. The hoist tilting mechanism 30 is comprised of a triangular lift 31, lifting arms 32, and the tilting actuator 26 that lifts the rail assembly 40 to a near upright position. This lifting mechanism was found to have the optimal mechanical advantage for lifting to a fully upright position. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the hoist mechanism from different views.

FIG. 4 displays a tilting mechanism that is the optimal pivot point for patients of size. The middle section assembly 20 has a lower pivot point 25 which attaches to the rail assembly 40. Tilting actuator 26 pushes from the middle section assembly 20 with the optimal mechanical advantage and less force requirements. In FIG. 4, a patient is performing a leg press exercise with the rail assembly 40 on the lower pivot point 25 and tilting actuator 26. The ROM limit assembly 130 is shown below the knees limiting the carriage travel downwards or squat depth. The ROM limit assembly 130 will be discussed in detail in FIGS. 23 and 24.

FIG. 5 shows a roller swing arm 33 that is fixed on the middle section assembly 20 to allow full upright positioning. In order to keep the tilting actuator 26 in push at all times, compression cylinders 150 (described in more detail in FIG. 35) are used on both sides of the middle section assembly 20 to prevent the rail assembly 40 from tipping over the high pivot point 24. Without the compression cylinders 150, the patient will experience an unsafe jolt to the forwards position as the center of gravity is translated over the high pivot point 24.

In FIG. 7, the device base 2 has an electric actuated braking assembly for ease of use and maneuverability via the caster locking mechanism 4 controlling the casters 3 for lock, steer, and neutral. Dual column lifts 15 are mounted on the base 2 at the column holder 9 to give the device a low position of 20-inches for wheelchair sliding transfers. The dual column actuators 15 and base 2 width is purposely configured 30 inches apart with a 5 inch space underneath the base 2 to allow a Hoyer lift device to roll underneath the mobile rehabilitation device 1 and allow a Hoyer transfer to the carriage assembly 70.

Referring to FIG. 8, is the device base 2 with a central locking braking system whereas the casters 3 are controlled by locking lever arms 5 on all four corners of the base 2 which communicate via connecting hex rods 6 for steering, neutral, and locking positions. A fifth wheel steering caster 7 is also connected for improved maneuverability of the mobile rehabilitation device 1 in hospital hallways.

Referring to FIG. 9 is the middle section assembly 20 which comprises the middle section top cover 21, frame 23, top column holders 22, and tilting actuator 26. The high pivot point 24 is the optimal position for tilting to an upright position for patients under 400 pounds, while the low pivot point 25 is the optimal position for the bariatric population over 400 pounds with an optimal mechanical advantage when tilting. The middle section assembly 20 also comprises the actuator control system 27, the charging cord holder 29, and the battery 28.

FIG. 10 shows the rail assembly 40 which comprises of parallel linear guide rails 41, pillow block stops 54, a locking bar 42, a footplate spring assembly 47, and a protective cover 55. Locking bar 42 comprises two sections. At the foot end are a series of notches 43 which stop the ROM limit bar 130 (described in detail in FIGS. 21-24) and at the head end is a series of holes 44 which are utilized for the carriage locking assembly 72 (described in greater detail in FIGS. 18-20). The footplate spring assembly 47 is comprised of footplate spring screws 48, a footplate spring plate 49, footplate compression springs 50, and footplate spring nuts 51. The footplate spring spring assembly 47 is a safety feature that prevents actuators from breaking with excessive force in the non-pushing motion. In the upright tilting scenario shown in FIG. 1, the footplate spring assembly 47 will allow forgiveness when the footplates 61 contact the floor and there is an uneven surface. An emergency handle 56 is attached to the tilting actuator 26 and can manually release the tilting to horizontal in the event of a battery failure or emergency. In the center rail 57, a series of carriage locking holes 52 are provided for the carriage locking mechanism 72. (discussed in FIGS. 17-19).

FIG. 11 shows the powered footplate assembly 60 which comprises the footplates 61, footplate push arms 62, a footplate triangular pivot 63, and footplate actuators 64. Tilting wheels 65 and footplate pivot axle 66 allow the footplates 61 to rotate from 20-degrees dorsiflexion to full horizontal controlled by the footplate actuators 64 during unilateral leg exercise. The tilting wheels 65 are required to give the device 1 a larger base of support and prevent tipping during full upright tilt table mode displayed in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 12-14 are various views of the footplate actuators 64 attaching to the footplate spring assembly 47 on the rail assembly 40.

FIG. 15 is the sliding carriage system 70 which comprises the side rail assembly 110, the seat assembly 71, and the powered backrest assembly 90. The powered backrest assembly 90 has a backrest actuator 95 and the seat assembly 71 has pillow block glides 76 which allow a gliding movement for exercise on the linear rails 41. Tension cords 79 are housed on the carriage rail assembly 70 which add additional resistance for exercise purposes when fixed onto the lower rail assembly 40.

FIG. 16 is the sliding seat assembly 71, which comprises the gliding pillow blocks 76, leg support pad holders 81, the drop-down side rail assembly 110, the carriage locking mechanism 72 (described in greater detail in FIGS. 18-20), and the backrest actuator 95. The carriage locking assembly 110 comprises bilateral locking handles 73, locking arms 74 and seat frame 78, locking springs 75, and spring-loaded locking pins 77. When the handles 73 are turned in a vertical position, the spring-loaded locking pins 77 are in the upper position and allow the carriage to move freely on the rails. When the carriage locking handles 73 are turned vertically, the spring-loaded locking pins 77 in the carriage locking housing 80 penetrate the rail assembly 40 in a series of holes 52 to prevent carriage movement. When the handles 73 are turned horizontally, the carriage is free to move on the railing.

FIG. 17 is the powered backrest 90 which comprises the backrest cushion 99, chest strap 12, chest strap holder 98, backrest frame 97, backrest spring assembly 91, and adjustable headrest 96. The backrest spring assembly 91 comprises the backrest spring plate 92, backrest spring screws 93, backrest compression springs 94, and backrest spring nuts 102. The backrest spring assembly 91 is a safety mechanism in the event that the backrest is lowered onto a fixed object such as a bedside table and the backrest compression springs 94 will prevent the backrest actuator 95 from breaking due to excessive force on a fixed surface, such as lowering onto a bedside table or ventilator.

FIG. 18 is the carriage locking mechanism 72 which comprises the locking housing 80, spring-loaded locking pins 77, carriage lock springs 75, carriage locking handles 73, carriage locking rod 74, carriage locking gears 83, and carriage locking bar 82. When the carriage locking handle 73 on either side of the carriage assembly 70 is turned vertically, the spring-loaded locking pins 77 are in the upper position and allow free carriage movement. The carriage locking springs 75 are meant to force the locking pin 77 downwards. When the carriage locking handle 73 is turned in the vertical position, the locking bar 74 compresses the spring-loaded locking pins 77 so that they engage the series of holes 52 in the rail assembly 40, thus locking the carriage in place for peak force testing. FIGS. 19 and 20 show alternative views of the carriage locking pins 77 penetrating the series of hole 52 in the rail assembly 40. The carriage locking mechanism 72 is configured such that the spring-loaded locking pins 77 can engage the series of holes 52 in increments of 1 cm due to the relative spacing of the holes 52 to the spring-loaded locking pins 77.

FIGS. 21-24 shows the ROM limit 130 which limits the amount of carriage travel downwards on the rail assembly 40. The ROM limit comprises a cover 131, rod 132, handles 133, torsion springs 134, a locking arm 135, and pillow blocks 136 as shown in FIGS. 21-24. The ROM limit 130 easily advances onto the rail assembly locking bar low section slots 43. When a downward force is applied to the ROM limit however, the locking arm 135 will catch into the grooves 43 preventing downward movement of the carriage. This safety mechanism is to prevent hyper-flexion of the patient's knees if the patient's knees give way during exercise. A distance sensor 230 is also housed in the ROM limit 130 to detect carriage travel for gaming via Bluetooth technology controlled by a microcontroller unit with Bluetooth technology 204.

FIG. 25 is the thigh section assembly 140 which comprises the thigh cushion 141, thigh rod 142, thigh handles 143, guide base 144, knee strap holder 146, tension springs 147, and J-hook locking arm 145. The thigh section assembly 140 is only used during passive standing in the upright standing position shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 26, when the thigh handle 143 is turned vertically, the J-hook locking arm 145 contacts the push-button sensor 53, the actuator controller 27 automatically sets all device actuators into position of 10-degree footplate plantarflexion, headrest in the flat position, and the lowered position. The table is then capable of tilting to a full upright position for passive standing without manual adjustments to all components.

FIGS. 27-34 shows the drop-arm side rail assembly 70 which attaches to the sliding carriage assembly 70 via the rail connection 119. The side rail assembly 70 comprises of siderails 110, an angle indicator 115, two outer swing arms 112, one inner swing arm 113, a lock handle 111, an smart tablet or phone holder arm receiver 116, a spring-loaded locking arm 117, a speed dampener 118, and a controller cutout 114. The controller 120 fits into the cutout 114 of the siderail 110. When the lock handle 111 is lifted upwards, the spring-loaded locking arm 112 disengages from the pivot bar to allow the side rail 110 to drop downwards in a vertical position and retract underneath the carriage assembly 70. This retracted position is ideal for a lateral transfer from a hospital bed because there is no gap between the bed and the carriage assembly 70. FIG. 33 shows the side rail assembly 70 in the lowered and retracted position.

FIG. 35 shows the compression spring cylinder 150 that is required for safe tilting position in the upright position shown in FIG. 5. The compression cylinder 150 prevents a tipping motion forwards as the patient's center of gravity is transitioned from behind to in front of the upper pivot point 24 of the middle section assembly 20. The compression spring 151 compresses between the compression bar 152 and cylinder 150 to promote an outwards force.

FIG. 36 shows the leg support pad 160 for unilateral exercise. It comprises the leg cushion 161 and leg support insertion frame 162.

FIG. 37 shows a schematic of the actuator controller 27 which provides input to the footplate actuators 64, backrest actuator 95, tilting actuator 26, and column lifts 15 for hi/lo. The actuator controller 27 is able to detect all actuator distances and will automatically set up the device for tilting to the upright position when the thigh sensor 53 is engaged by the thigh J-hook 145. A battery 220 supplies power to the actuator controller 27 and the microcontroller unit (MCU) 204 which will be discussed in FIGS. 39-50 for reading the continuous data from the distance sensor 230 and load cells 209 and output the data to the LCD displays 205, LED bar arrays 203, and smartphone or tablet App via Bluetooth 204.

FIG. 38 is the footplate assembly 200, which comprises footplate frames 201, footplate covers 202, footplates 61, LCD force readout 205 (left 206 and right 207), load cells 209, LED bar array 203.

Referring to FIG. 39, a patient places a load during exercise through the footplate assemblies 200 which displays the amount of load in whole numbers via the LCD force readout (206 left and 207 right) and through an LED array strip 203 mounted to the aluminum scale plate 61. As best shown in FIG. 40, each scale plate 61 is mounted to four load cells 209 in parallel with spacers that are mounted to the footplate subassembly frames 201.

Each scale plate will operate independently but be connected to one microprocessor unit (MCU) 204. Weight resolution will be one pound. Each scale will have its own LCD force readout 205 located in the upper medial corner of each scale plate 61. Each scale plate will have an array of 30 LED strip 203 to provide visual feedback proportional to the PEAK force being applied. A means to set the PEAK as the patient applies force to the scale plates is provided on the LCD touch-screen force readout 205 and will be mapped to represent the full scale of the 30 LED strip 203.

As best shown in FIG. 42, the display electronics comprise a MASTER force readout 207 (patient's right), which will display the force applied to the RIGHT scale plate 61, as well as all of the touch controls for the user interface. The SLAVE force readout 206 (patient's left) will act as the repeater display for the LEFT scale plate. Force readout displays 206 and 207, LED strip arrays 203, and load cell 209 connections will be made clear in the bottom of FIG. 40. Power will be connected near the base to minimize cable movement.

As shown in FIG. 39, the LED strip arrays 203 will light up from a medial to lateral fashion as force is applied and will be divided into three sections. The most medial 50% of the LED strip array 112 will be green, the middle 40% section will be yellow, and the lateral 10% will be red. These sections represent exercise intensity prescription zones for optimal muscle strength training, which is the yellow zone of 50% to 90% of maximum force or PEAK strength.

Referring to FIG. 42, the MASTER force readout 207 display electronics is comprised of a 2.4″ TFT Color LCD with a resistive touch element, and a main MCU board with connections for the load cells 209, LED strip arrays 203, force readout displays 205, and power.

FIG. 42 shows the user interface of the MASTER force readout 207. Weight, mode (PEAK or FREE), units, calibration, and zero can be accessed on the touch screen display.

The basic operation is the unit is first ‘zeroed’ by touching the zero icon to set the system to zero. The system returns to the main screen when completed.

Basic operation of PEAK FORCE mode is as follows: The controllers PF buttons will be pushed at the same time for 3 seconds for automatic setup of the peak force muscle test. Position the patient onto the mobile rehabilitation device 1 at 45-degrees knee flexion and the head will be elevated to 45-degrees and the footplates will be positioned at 10-degrees plantar flexion automatically. With a locked carriage and touching the “PEAK” icon seen in FIG. 43, a therapist may start the peak force test. The patient will then be instructed and apply force to one or both scale plates 61 at maximum effort for 5 seconds. The maximum force developed during a peak muscle force test will be displayed in increasing numbers only. The “PEAK” is set to the highest value achieved while in “PEAK FORCE” mode determined by the MCU 204.

An example of PEAK force is shown in FIG. 44. A patient pushes into the scale platens for 5 seconds with a max force at the 4 second interval; 50 lb on the left & 83 lb on the right. The scale display only shows increasing numbers so when the patient relaxes and force decreases to 5 lb at total rest the scale display still shows 50 lb (left SLAVE 206) and 83 lb (right MASTER 207). Max Force=Peak Force=83 lb. At the 8 second time frame the display will look like the bottom image of FIG. 44. The Peak will be displayed at the top of the display as the higher value of the slave vs. the master display (in example above: 83 lbs). The PEAK value will be scaled to fill the 30 LED array 203 for visual feedback.

FREE mode is a real-time display of muscle force during exercises where the display shows increasing and decreasing numbers with varying forces. Basic operation of FREE mode is as follows: after completing the peak force mode, unlock the carriage assembly 70 to allow carriage movement, touch the “PEAK” icon to start the FREE MODE process and then have the patient apply force to one or both scale platens. The FREE mode icon is shown in FIG. 45. The force displayed during FREE mode will be real time.

An example of FREE mode is shown in FIG. 46. A patient pushes into the scale platens for 8 seconds with a max force at the 4 second interval of 48 lb on the left plate and 90 lb on the right. The scale display shows real time force numbers so on the LEFT displays the weight values increases from 5 lb to 48 lb and then decreases to 5 lb. and on the right plate from 5 lb to 90 lb and then decreases to 5 lb again. This is performed during the entirety of the exercise session as visual biofeedback to facilitate symmetrical weight-bearing as both arrays of LED strips 203 shows 83 pounds of 100% of PEAK force. At the 8 second time frame the display will look like the bottom image of FIG. 46. Touching the icon will toggle between PEAK and FREE operating modes and be highlighted. Default mode of initial startup will be PEAK mode for leg strength testing.

FIGS. 47-50 show diagrams of the force plate assemblies 200.

The MCU 204 is also Bluetooth enabled which allows the device 1 to transmit load forces and carriage distance from the distance sensor 230 located in the ROM limit 130 to a smartphone or tablet for real-time display of force and carriage distance. The continual data from the carriage distance sensor 230 and load cells 209 can be used in an Application for gaming as a game controller for entertainment while exercising.

FIGS. 51-53 display different views of the preferred ‘four-point’ tilting mechanism that allows maximal stability of the device when performing exercise at the maximal tilt and allows the largest lifting capacity with mechanical advantage. Tilting actuator 26 pushes on the tilting frame lifting subassembly 170, which rotates two lateral arms on the subassembly 170. The two lateral arms of subassembly 170 connect to two tilting frame linkage tubing 173 which connects to the rail assembly 40 for tilting. FIG. 54 shows an exploded view of the tilting frame lifting subassembly 170 showing how the subassembly rotates in a tilting bearing housing 172 with bronze sleeve bearing 171 for smooth rotation. Tilting frame linkage tubing 173 is connected to the subassembly 170 with small bronze bearing 174 for quiet and smooth tilting.

Although this description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments thereof, as well as the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out the invention. The invention, as described herein, is susceptible to various modifications and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents.

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results. While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Variations or modifications to the formulation of this invention, within the scope of the invention, may occur to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the disclosure herein. Such variations or modifications are well within the spirit of this invention.

The numerical values given for various physical parameters, dimensions, and quantities are only approximate values and it is envisaged that the values higher than the numerical value assigned to the physical parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the invention unless there is a statement in the specification to the contrary.

While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the specific features of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that many additional features can be added and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiment without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

The particular embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative only, as the embodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed herein may be altered or modified, and any such variations are considered to fall within the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description and the appended claims as well as any other variations and modifications falling within the scope thereof.