Abnormal Gait Phase Recognition and Limb Angle Prediction in Lower-Limb Exoskeletons.

Abstract

The phase detection of abnormal gait and the prediction of lower-limb angles are key challenges in controlling lower-limb exoskeletons. This study simulated three types of abnormal gaits: scissor gait, foot-drop gait, and staggering gait. To enhance the recognition capability for abnormal gait phases, a four-discrete-phase division for a single leg is proposed: pre-swing, swing, swing termination, and stance phases. The four phases of both legs further constitute four stages of walking. Using the Euler angles of the ankle joints as inputs, the capabilities of a Convolutional Neural Network and a Support Vector Machine in recognizing discrete gait phases are verified. Based on these discrete gait phases, a continuous phase estimation is further performed using an adaptive frequency oscillator. For predicting the lower-limb motion angle, this study innovatively proposes an input scheme that integrates three-axis ankle joint angles and continuous gait phases. Comparative experiments confirmed that this information fusion scheme improved the limb angle prediction accuracy, with the Convolutional Neural Network-Long Short-Term Memory network yielding the best prediction results.