DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING TARGET INDICATIONS FOR FOOT MOVEMENTS TO PERSONS WITH A WALKING DISORDER

• US 20090246746A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forcelink B.V.
• Original Assignee: Forcelink B.V.
• Inventors: BEEK, Peter Jan, ROERDINK, Melvyn
• Granted Patent: US 9,084,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/255
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/00 Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04 ; applying electrical currents by contact electrodes for stimulating motor muscles, e.g. walking assistance A61N1/36003
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/02 with movable endless bands , e.g. treadmills other training appliances for running on the spot A63B69/0028
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0235 driven by a motor

Abstract

A walking-trainer device for persons with a walking disorder to relearn walking has a movable tread surface and a display unit for displaying target indications of the corresponding and consecutive foot positions for movements made by a person walking on the tread surface. The target indications have the form of a number of consecutive patterns located above a target surface at the height of and in the longitudinal direction of the tread surface moving in the direction of the person, which visibly move from a distance of between 0.5 m and 0.5 m, preferably between 15 m and 5 m and more preferably between 0.7 m and 2.5 m, from the target surface in the direction of and over the tread surface up to the feet of the person. The speed of movement of the patterns is substantially equal to the speed of movement of the tread surface.

Claims

1. Walking-trainer device (1) provided with a movable tread surface (13), a display unit (7, 8, 9) for displaying consecutive target indications corresponding to positions on the tread surface (3) for foot movements of a person (4) walking on said tread surface, characterised in that the target indications have the form of a number of consecutive patterns (15, 16) located above a target surface (10) at the height of and in the longitudinal direction of the tread surface moving in the direction of the person, which, from a distance of between 0.5 m and 10 m, preferably between 0.5 and 5 m, with even greater preference between 0.7 m and 2.5, visibly move from the target surface (10) in the direction of and over the tread surface (3) up to the feet of the person (4), wherein the speed of movement of the patterns (15, 16) is substantially equal to the speed of movement of the tread surface (3).

2. Walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the patterns comprise a number of belts (15, 16), the number of which lies between 1 and 20, preferably between 3 and 15, which belts, in the direction of movement, have a width W of between 1 and 50 cm, preferably between 1 and 40 cm.

3. Walking device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the target surface (10) has a length (L1) of between 0.5 m and 10 m, preferably between 0.7 m and 5 m and wherein the target surface is stationary.

4. Walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the tread surface (3) is provided with sensors (5) for determining the path of the centre of gravity and foot positions on said tread surface, wherein the sensors (5) produce a signal which is fed to a control unit (7) which calculates a position of the centre of gravity of a person (4) walking on the treadmill, wherein the position of the centre of gravity is fed to a display unit (12, 14) in order to be displayed in relation to the person walking.

5. Walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the centre of gravity is projected by a projection means (8, 9, 14) onto said tread surface.

6. Walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the signal from the sensors (5) is fed to a control unit (7) in order to control the speed of movement and/or the individual distance of the paths (16, 17).

13. Walking device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the target surface (10) has a length (L1) of between 0.5 m and 10 m, preferably between 0.7 m and 5 m and wherein the target surface is stationary.

14. Walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the tread surface (3) is provided with sensors (5) for determining the path of the centre of gravity and foot positions on said tread surface, wherein the sensors (5) produce a signal which is fed to a control unit (7) which calculates a position of the centre of gravity of a person (4) walking on the treadmill, wherein the position of the centre of gravity is fed to a display unit (12, 14) in order to be displayed in relation to the person walking.

15. Walking-trainer device (1) according to claim 3 wherein the tread surface (3) is provided with sensors (5) for determining the path of the centre of gravity and foot positions on said tread surface, wherein the sensors (5) produce a signal which is fed to a control unit (7) which calculates a position of the centre of gravity of a person (4) walking on the treadmill, wherein the position of the centre of gravity is fed to a display unit (12, 14) in order to be displayed in relation to the person walking.

7. Method for displaying target indications to a person walking on a treadmill, comprising the steps of:

measuring the foot positions of the person on said treadmill by sensor means,

determining the speed of the treadmill,

feeding the sensor signals to a control unit and determining the step frequency or step length, and

displaying a number of consecutive belts located above a target surface at the height of and in the longitudinal direction of the tread surface moving in the direction of the person, which visibly move in the direction of the person from a distance of between 0.5 m and 10 m m, preferably between 0.5 m and 5 m, more preferably between 0.7 m and 2.5 m, from the target surface in the direction of and over the tread surface, the belt speed of which corresponds substantially to the speed of the treadmill.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein a distance between consecutive belts is adjusted on the basis of the measured step frequency and/or step length.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein a centre of gravity position, based on sensor signals of the person walking, is displayed in the form of a butterfly-shaped representation on a display unit.

10. Method according to claim 7, wherein the display of the belts is set in such a manner that positions between two belts are located beneath the feet of the person walking.

11. Method according to claim 8, wherein the display of the belts is set in such a manner that positions between two belts are located beneath the feet of the person walking.

12. Method according to claim 9, wherein the display of the belts is set in such a manner that positions between two belts are located beneath the feet of the person walking.