Target of physiological gait: Realization of speed adaptive control for a prosthetic knee during swing flexion.

BACKGROUND: Prosthetic knee is the most important component of lower limb prosthesis. Speed adaptive for prosthetic knee during swing flexion is the key method to realize physiological gait.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to discuss the target of physiological gait, propose a speed adaptive control method during swing flexion and research the damping adjustment law of intelligent hydraulic prosthetic knee.

METHODS: According to the physiological gait trials of healthy people, the control target during swing flexion is defined. A new prosthetic knee with fuzzy logical control during swing flexion is designed to realize the damping adjustment automatically. The function simulation and evaluation system of intelligent knee prosthesis is provided. Speed adaptive control test of the intelligent prosthetic knee in different velocities are researched.

RESULTS: The maximum swing flexion of the knee angle is set between sixty degree and seventy degree as the target of physiological gait. Preliminary experimental results demonstrate that the prosthetic knee with fuzzy logical control is able to realize physiological gait under different speeds. The faster the walking, the bigger the valve closure percentage of the hydraulic prosthetic knee.

CONCLUSIONS: The proposed fuzzy logical control strategy and intelligent hydraulic prosthetic knee are effective for the amputee to achieve physiological gait.