Method and Apparatus for Analysis of Gait and to Provide Haptic and Visual Corrective Feedback
AssigneeIPComm
InventorStanislaw Czaja
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for analysis of user gait and to provide correction in form of haptic and visual feedback. This system comprises a motion and force sensors and a haptic actuator embedded in the user shoe insoles in communication with a smart-phone based analysis application, configured to calculate motion and orientation of the user feet in relation to the value, location and distribution of ground reaction forces measured by sensors located in the shoe insoles and after analysis of said forces and motion, to provide haptic feedback to the user foot instructing about the location (and timing) of pressure the user must apply to achieve an optimal gait.
Claims11
A gait and balance system designed to measure motion indicative of a selected user's gait and balance, comprising:
- (a) an insole for use with a selected user's foot and shaped to be inserted into foot apparel worn by the selected user, wherein the insole comprises:
- (1) a lower insole portion;
- (2) an upper insole portion;
- and
- (3) a motion processing and feedback subsystem positioned proximate to and between the lower insole portion and the upper insole portion, and wherein the motion processing and feedback subsystem comprises:
- (A) a motion processing device, comprising:
- 1) a 3D gyroscope generating 3D gyroscope data;
- 2) a 3D accelerometer generating 3D accelerometer data;
- 3) a 3D magnetometer generating 3D magnetometer data;
- and
- 4) an atmospheric pressure sensor generating atmospheric pressure sensor data;
- and wherein the 3D gyroscope data, the 3D accelerometer data, the 3D magnetometer data and the atmospheric pressure sensor data collectively comprise motion data generated by the motion processing device;
- (B) a plurality of force pressure sensors generating force pressure data;
- (C) a haptic feedback actuator;
- (D) a wireless communication input/output device;
- (E) a microprocessor;
- wherein the motion processing device, the plurality of force pressure sensors and the haptic feedback actuator communicate with the microprocessor using a communications interface;
- and
- (F) a memory storage device capable of storing software programs and related data for use by the microprocessor;
- (b) a smart phone capable of executing a monitoring software application that monitors the selected user's activity, wherein the monitoring software application processes the motion data and the force pressure data, and wherein the smart phone determines GPS timing and coordinate information and synchronizes the GPS timing and coordinate information with the motion and force pressure data thereby generating GPS synchronized motion and force pressure data, and wherein the smart phone and the monitoring software application communicates with the motion processing and feedback subsystem of the insole, via the wireless communication input/output device;
- and
- (c) a cloud-based server;
- wherein the cloud-based server processes the GPS synchronized motion and force pressure data and generates foot motion and force distribution information related to the selected user;
- and wherein the gait and balance system determines a gait of the selected user based upon a stance phase and a swing phase of a gait cycle for the selected user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.