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US 11,116,689 B2Granted
Cane mobility device
OwnerKatherine Anne Peterseninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cane apparatus may include a body portion, a handle at a top end of the body portion, a proximity detector coupled to the body portion, an alert mechanism, and a processor communicatively coupled to the proximity detector and the alert mechanism. The processor may be configured to: determine, based on a signal received from the proximity detector, that the proximity detector is within a threshold distance of an obstacle; and based on the determination, activate the alert mechanism.
Claims19
A cane apparatus comprising:
- a body portion including a plurality of proximity detectors spaced therealong;
- a handle at a top end of the body portion;
- an alert mechanism;
- and
- a processor communicatively coupled to the plurality of proximity detectors and the alert mechanism, wherein the processor is configured to:
- receive signals from the plurality of proximity detectors;
- adjust the received signals by:
- in response to receiving, from a particular one of the plurality of proximity detectors, an exceptional value that is indicative of no obstacle being detected, replacing the exceptional value with a value indicative of a largest result the particular proximity detector is capable of producing;
- determine, based on the adjusted signals, respective distances from each of the plurality of proximity detectors to an obstacle;
- and
- activate the alert mechanism in response to a smallest one of the determined respective distances being less than a threshold distance with a signal that is dependent upon which of the plurality of proximity detectors is associated with the smallest distance such that a frequency associated with the activation of the alert mechanism is set based on a height at which the smallest distance is detected.
8 more elements
A method comprising:
- forming a body portion of a cane from a rigid material;
- forming a handle at a top end of the body portion;
- coupling a plurality of proximity detectors to the body portion such that the plurality of proximity detectors are spaced along the body portion;
- coupling an alert mechanism to the cane;
- and
- communicatively coupling a processor to the plurality of proximity detectors and the alert mechanism, wherein the processor is configured to:
- receive signals from the plurality of proximity detectors;
- adjust the received signals by:
- in response to receiving, from a particular one of the plurality of proximity detectors, an exceptional value that is indicative of no obstacle being detected, replacing the exceptional value with a value indicative of a largest result the particular proximity detector is capable of producing;
- determine, based on the adjusted signals, respective distances from each of the plurality of proximity detectors to an obstacle;
- and
- activate the alert mechanism in response to a smallest one of the determined respective distances being less than a threshold distance with a signal that is dependent upon which of the plurality of proximity detectors is associated with the smallest distance such that a frequency associated with the activation of the alert mechanism is set based on a height at which the smallest distance is detected.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.