US 11,684,288 B2Granted

Multidimensional acceleration and/or force gait analysis system for diagnosis

AssigneeStep Analysis LLC

InventorsUri Tasch, Jason Dunthorn

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Abstract

Disclosed herein is a gait analysis apparatus that is configured to provide multidimensional measures of the gait of an individual as the individual traverses the gait analysis apparatus. The gait analysis apparatus may be configured to provide a gait measuring processing device with the multidimensional measurements. Based on the multidimensional measurements, the gait measuring process device may, for example, diagnose the test subject with lameness or particular neuromuscular dysfunctions (NM) disease and/or injury, monitor progression of lameness or a particular NM disease and/or injury over time, determine a static weight as the test subject is traversing, monitor the static weight of the test subject over an extended period time, and/or determine which measurements may be used as biomarkers to identify lameness or the particular NM disease and/or injury. A system including a gait analysis apparatus is also disclosed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A gait analysis apparatus configured to monitor locomotion comprising:

a sensor region suspended in a plurality of directions selected from a first group consisting of vertical, fore-aft, and lateral directions;
a load sensor module comprising one or more load sensors, wherein the load sensor module is configured to measure loads generated by a first test subject traversing the sensor region;
a flexible link configured to suspend the sensor region from the load sensor module in only one of the plurality of directions;
at least one pair of limiting members positioned on opposite sides of the one or more load sensors such that the apparatus comprises a single pair of limiting members for each load sensor and such that each limiting member within the pair of limiting members is positioned on opposite sides of a single load sensor, wherein the at least one pair of limiting members includes a suspension assembly to suspend the sensor region from the load sensor module in at least one of the plurality of directions different from a suspension direction of the sensor region by the flexible link, wherein the at least one pair of limiting members are configured to permit the sensor region to move a limited amount of distance relative to the load sensor module, wherein movement of the limited amount of distance by the sensor region causes the load sensor module to measure the loads in at least one of the plurality of directions different from the suspension direction of the sensor region by the flexible link, wherein the load sensor module is configured to measure the loads in each of the at least one of the plurality of directions different from the suspension direction and to provide each of the respective measurements of the loads to be processed.

1 more element

A system for gait analysis comprising:

a gait measurement processing device;
a gait analysis apparatus operatively coupled to the gait measurement processing device, comprising:
a first floor plate and a second floor plate that are disposed adjacently to one another, wherein the first floor plate is configured to be moved independently of the second floor plate;
at least one vertical load sensor coupled to each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate, wherein the at least one vertical load sensor is configured to detect a vertical load on either or both of the first floor plate and the second floor plate and to generate one or more vertical load measurements in response to the detected vertical load;
a flexible link configured to suspend each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate in a vertical direction;
at least one fore-aft load sensor coupled to each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate, wherein the at least one fore-aft load sensor is configured to detect a fore-aft load on either or both of the first floor plate and the second floor plate;
at least one first pair of limiting members coupled to each of said first floor plate and said second floor plate configured to permit one or more of the first and second floor plates to move a limited amount of fore-aft distance of each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate, wherein movement of the limited amount of fore-aft distance by one or more of the first and second floor plates causes the at least one fore-aft load sensor to generate one or more fore-aft load measurements in response to the detected fore-aft load, wherein the at least one first pair of limiting members is positioned on opposite sides of the at least one fore-aft load sensor such that the apparatus comprises a single pair of limiting members for each fore-aft load sensor and such that each limiting member within the first pair of limiting members is positioned on opposite sides of a single fore-aft load sensor, wherein the at least one first pair of limiting members include a suspension assembly to suspend each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate in a fore-aft direction;
at least one lateral load sensor coupled to each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate, wherein the at least one lateral load sensor is configured to detect a lateral load on either or both of the first floor plate and the second floor plate;
at least one second pair of limiting members coupled to each of said first floor plate and said second floor plate configured to permit one or more of the first and second floor plates to move a limited amount of lateral distance of each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate, wherein movement of the limited amount of lateral distance by one or more of the first and second floor plates causes the at least one lateral load sensor to generate one or more lateral load measurements in response to the detected lateral load, wherein the at least one second pair of limiting members is positioned on opposite sides of the at least one lateral load sensor such that the apparatus comprises a single pair of limiting members for each lateral load sensor and such that each limiting member within the second pair of limiting members is positioned on opposite sides of a single lateral load sensor, wherein the at least one second pair of limiting members include a suspension assembly to suspend each of the first floor plate and the second floor plate in a lateral direction;
and
wherein the at least one vertical load sensor is configured to provide the one or more vertical load measurements to the gait measurement processing device, the at least one fore-aft load sensor is configured to provide the one or more fore-aft load measurements to the gait measurement processing device, and the at least one lateral load sensor is configured to provide the one or more lateral load measurements to the gait measuring processing device;
wherein the gait measurement processing device comprises one or more processors programmed to implement instructions to:
receive the vertical load measurements, the fore-aft load measurements, and the lateral load measurements;
generate a plurality of locomotion parameters (LPs) based on the received load measurements;
analyze the plurality of LPs;
and
generate a probability model based on the analysis.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/858,501Filed 6 Jul 2022 · continuation
Priority: 20 Apr 2017
Published: US 2022/0330849 A120 Oct 2022
Granted: 27 Jun 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

A61B 5/1036
Measuring devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes: measuring load…
A61B 5/112
Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor or mobility of a limb: gait analysis
A61B 5/4082
Diagnosing or monitoring particular conditions of the nervous system: diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or…
A61B 2562/0219
Details of sensors specially adapted for in-vivo measurements: inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches

Family

Application62/487,944Us provisional application · filed 20 Apr 2017
PCT/US2018/027006Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Apr 2018
US 2022/0330849 A1Pre-grant publication · published 20 Oct 2022
Application16/606,031Parent of this continuation
US 11,406,282 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2021/0145314 A1Published application
US 11,684,288 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.