Fall arresting lift machine
OwnerSheila M. Buswell, Gregg A. Buswellinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fall arresting lift machine has a gantry upon casters, a power source upon the gantry, a drive with a motor upon the gantry in communication with the power source, a controller in communication with the motor and the power source, a vertical strap paying out from the drive motor, a harness upon the strap, and the harness is suitable for wearing by a user. The gantry includes feet, housings, uprights, elbows, braces, and a union. The harness has straps for over both shoulders of the user and a belt and inertial measurement units upon the straps. The drive and controller cooperate to assist a user to sit and to stand, and to detect abrupt acceleration typical of a fall, and arrest the fall. The casters swivel, or alternately select wheels remain in fixed orientation.
Claims10
A machine for arresting falls and lifting a person, comprising:
- a gantry, said gantry having four uprights arranged mutually parallel and vertical, said four uprights organized into two pairs;
- at least one housing, said at least one housing receiving a pair of said uprights;
- each pair of uprights having a foot and at east one caster beneath the foot opposite the uprights;
- each upright having an elbow extending inwardly of said machine from each upright opposite said foot;
- each elbow connecting to a brace further extending inwardly;
- a union receiving each of said braces;
- a vertical strap descending from and retracting to said union, said vertical strap connecting to a harness, said harness adapted to fit upon a torso of a person, said harness having a plurality of inertial measurement units thereon and at least one proximity sensor thereon;
- wherein a drive pays out said vertical strap in a controlled manner and reels in said vertical strap in a controlled manner and wherein said drive detects abrupt tensioning of said strap and imparts a counteracting tension to the strap to arrest a fall of a person;
- a power source;
- and
- a controller accessible to a person.
The machine for arresting falls and lifting a person of claim I further comprising:
- said drive having a tension sensor and an accelerometer detecting any abrupt tensioning of said strap denoting a fall event of a person and upon detecting abrupt tensioning said drive imparts a reaction force to said strap;
- said drive having electrical communication with said power source and with said controller:
- and
- wherein said power source is one of a lithium ion battery and a cord adapted to connect to utility service.
A device that follows the gait of a person comprising:
- a harness adapted to fit upon a torso of a person, said harness having two straps, each of said straps having at least two inertial measurement units and at least one proximity sensor thereon, and a vertical strap joining to said straps;
- a controller upon one of said straps, said controller being in electrical communication with said inertial measurement units and said proximity sensor and being accessible to a person;
- said vertical strap connecting to a drive wherein said drive pays out said vertical strap in a controlled manner and retracts said vertical strap in a controlled, manner and wherein said drive detects abrupt tensioning of said strap and imparts a counteracting force to the strap to arrest a fall of a person;
- a mobile gantry connecting to said vertical strap above said harness, said gantry is adapted to have a height greater than that of a person;
- and
- a power source in electrical communication with said harness, said controller, and said drive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.