A Piecewise Monotonic Gait Phase Estimation Model for Controlling a Powered Transfemoral Prosthesis in Various Locomotion Modes

Gait phase-based control is a trending research topic for walking-aid robots, especially robotic lower-limb prostheses. Gait phase estimation is a challenge for gait phase-based control. Previous researches used the integration or the differential of the human's thigh angle to estimate the gait phase, but accumulative measurement errors and noises can affect the estimation results. In this letter, a more robust gait phase estimation method is proposed using a unified form of piecewise monotonic gait phase-thigh angle models for various locomotion modes. The gait phase is estimated from only the thigh angle, which is a stable variable and avoids phase drifting. A Kalman filter-based smoother is designed to further suppress the mutations of the estimated gait phase. Based on the proposed gait phase estimation method, a gait phase-based joint angle tracking controller is designed for a transfemoral prosthesis. The proposed gait estimation method, the gait phase smoother, and the controller are evaluated through offline analysis on walking data in various locomotion modes. And the real-time performance of the gait phase-based controller is validated in an experiment on the transfemoral prosthesis.