Method and system for the derivation of human gait characteristics and detecting falls passively from floor vibrations

• US 20060195050A1
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Original Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Inventors: Kell, Steven W., Dalal, Siddharth, Felder, Robin A., Alwan, Majd
• Granted Patent: US 7,857,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/02 Details of sensors specially adapted for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0017 transmitting optical signals transmission by light H04B10/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1117 Fall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/50 for measuring linear speed G01P3/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

The gait monitor system and method provides various basic gait parameters including step count, cadence, and step duration, in addition to its ability to distinguish between normal, limping and shuffling gait modes, as well as determine falls. Moreover, this gait monitor may be provided with additional sensors, e.g. beam break at the beginning and end of a corridor to estimate average walking velocity (with the distance between the beams known or determined); this enables the calculation of additional gait characteristics such as average step length and average stride length. These parameters can additionally be used to detect various gait anomalies and other diagnostic information.

Claims

1. A gait monitoring for monitoring gait characteristics of a subject, said system comprising:

a sensor module that detects floor acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection to provide acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal; and

a processor module that analyzes the acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal for determining gait characteristics.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an output module for receiving said gait characteristics data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said output module comprises at least one of display, alarm, memory storage, communication device, printer, buzzer, PDA, lap top computer, computer, audio or visual alarm, and/or light.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said communication device comprises at least one of modem, pager, network interface, Ethernet card, serial communications port, parallel communications port, telephone, and/or PCMCIA slot and card.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor module and processor module are in wireless communication.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless communication comprises at least one of RF link, an infrared, cellular phone link, optical and/or electromagenetic.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said sensor module and processor module are in a hard wired communication.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said hard wired communication comprises at least one electronic, integrated circuit, electromagnetic, wire, cable, fiber optics, a phone line, twisted pair, and/or coaxial.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a rate-of-travel detector to determine the rate of travel of the subject.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said rate-of-travel detector comprises at least one of a pluratlity of beam breaks, floor switches, and/or door swithches.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said rate-of-travel detector comprises at least one of ultrasonic communication, IR communication, laser communication, ground radar communication, wide band radar communication, and/or doppler communication.

12. The system of claim 9, said gait characteristics of the subject includes at least one of step count, pace, normal condition, limp, shuffle, falls, average walking velocity, step length, and/or stride length.

13. The system of claim 1, said gait characteristics of the subject includes at least one of step count, pace, normal condition, limp, shuffle, and/or falls.

14. The system of claim 1, said gait characteristics of the subject includes falls.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising archival storage module.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said archival storage module stores at least one of longitudinal analysis of gait characteristics, pattern recognition, and/or identification determination.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said processor module analyzes the gait characteristics, pattern recognition, and/or identification determination data

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second processor module, said second processor module analyzes the gait characteristics, pattern recognition, and/or identification determination data.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said subject is a human and/or animal.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said subject is an animate or inanimate object.

21. The system of claim 1, further comprising fall module that processes data received from said acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection module.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising step module that processes data received from said acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection module.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second processor module in communication with said system.

24. A method for monitoring gait characteristics of a subject, said method comprising:

detecting floor acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection to provide acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal; and

analyzing the acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal for determining gait characteristics.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

outputting said gait characteristics data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said outputting is provided by an output module that comprises at least one of display, alarm, memory storage, communication device, printer, buzzer, PDA, lap top computer, computer, audio or visual alarm, and/or light.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said communication device comprises at least one of modem, pager, network interface, Ethernet card, serial communications port, parallel communications port, telephone, and/or PCMCIA slot and card.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

detecting rate-of-travel of the subject to determine the rate of travel of the subject.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein detecting said rate of travel is provided by a rate rate-of-travel detector.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said rate-of-travel detector comprises at least one of ultrasonic communication, IR communication, laser communication, ground radar communication, wide band radar communication, and/or doppler communication.

31. The method of claim 28, said gait characteristics of the subject includes at least one of step count, pace, normal condition, limp, shuffle, falls, average walking velocity, step length, and/or stride length.

32. The method of claim 24, said gait characteristics of the subject includes at least one of step count, pace, normal condition, limp, shuffle, and/or falls.

33. The method of claim 24, said gait characteristics of the subject includes falls.

34. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

storing archival information or data.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the storing of archival information or data is provided by an archival storage module that stores at least one of longitudinal analysis of gait characteristics, pattern recognition, and/or identification determination.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

analyzing the gait characteristics, pattern recognition, and/or identification determination data.

37. The method of claim 24, wherein said subject is a human and/or animal.

38. The method of claim 24, wherein said subject is an animate or inanimate object.

39. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

analyzing fall data received from the acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal.

40. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

analyzing step data from the acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal.

41. A computer program product comprising computer usable medium having computer logic for enabling at lease one processor in a computer system to monitor gait characteristics of a subject, said computer logic comprising:

detecting floor acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection to provide acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal; and

analyzing the acceleration, vibration, and/or deflection signal for determining gait characteristics.