WALKING ABILITY DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM

• US 20100035728A1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ochi, Kazuhiro, Shinomiya, Youichi, Ozawa, Takahisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,972,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/901 having computer circuitry

Abstract

A sensor unit installed in a premises for detecting a user'"'"'s walking behavior. Connected to the server through a communication network are a server, an information reporting unit, and an exercise machine. The server includes a diagnosis section for analyzing time series data of walking signal from the sensor unit to determine walking ability and generate walking ability data indicative thereof, and an information providing section which provides the walking ability date to the information reporting unit and the exercise machine. The information reporting unit includes reporting means for reporting the determined walking ability to the user. The exercise machine includes a control section which gives an exercise to the user depending upon the walking ability.

Claims

1. A walking ability diagnosis system comprising:

a sensor unit installed in a premises and configured to measure walking behavior of a user;

a server connected to said sensor unit by way of a communication network provided in said premises; and

an information reporting unit connected to said server by way of said communication network,

wherein said sensor unit being configured to provide a walking signal indicative of the user'"'"'s walking behavior, and said server comprises;

a sensor information processing section configured to store time series data of said walking signal transmitted from said sensor unit;

a diagnosis section configured to analyze said time series data to determine the walking ability and generate walking ability data indicative of the walking ability; and

an information providing section configured to transmit said determined walking ability data to said communication network,

said information reporting unit including reporting means for providing the walking ability data determined at said server to said user.

2. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said server has a judgment table,

said diagnosis section is configured to analyze a leg strength based upon said time series data within a predetermined time range, to determine the same as the walking ability data, and to store said walking ability data as associated with a judgment time in said judgment table, and

said information reporting unit is configured to read out a recent one of said walking ability data from said judgment table and report the same.

3. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said server has a judgment table,

said diagnosis section is configured to analyze a leg strength for each of the left and right user'"'"'s legs based upon said time series data within a predetermined time range, to determine a representative value of the leg strengths of the left and right user'"'"'s legs as well as a leg balance ratio between the left leg strength and the right leg strength so as to define the walking ability as a combination of said representative value and said leg balance ratio, and to store said walking ability as associated with a judgment time in said judgment table, and

said information reporting unit is configured to read out a recent one of said walking ability data from said judgment table and report the same.

4. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 2, further including:

verified information capturing means configured to obtain physical characteristic data of the users, and a user table configured to store characteristic data with regard to a plurality of the users,

said user table being configured to store user codes and physical judgment data specifying physical characteristics of the users,

said judgment table being configured to store said user code,

said server including a user identification section configured to select the user code in match with the physical judgment data based upon the physical characteristic data obtained at said verified information capturing means, and provide thus selected user code to said diagnosis section,

said diagnosis section being configured to store the walking ability data in association with said user code in said judgment table,

said information reporting unit being equipped with user selection means for selecting the user code from within said user table, and being configured to read out the walking ability data in match with the selected user code from said judgment table, and to display the same.

5. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 3 or 4, wherein

said sensor unit comprises a plurality of floor-mounted load sensors adapted to be mounted on a floor of said premises, and

said diagnosis section is configured to analyze the walking signal from the floor-mounted load sensors to obtain a floor-contact time (TR and TL) for each of the left and right user'"'"'s feet, said floor-contact time starting from the touching of the foot with the floor and ending with the leaving of the foot from the floor, said diagnosis section being configured to determine said leg strength as a longer one of the floor-contact times, and determine said leg balance ratio as a ratio of one of said floor-contact times to the other.

6. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 3 or 4, wherein

said sensor unit comprises a plurality of floor-mounted load sensors adapted to be mounted on a floor of said premises, and

said diagnosis section is configured to analyze the walking signal from the floor-mounted load sensors to obtain a load (FR and FL) acting on the floor from each of the left and right user'"'"'s feet, determine said leg strength as a greater one of the loads, and determine said leg balance ratio as a ratio of one of the left and right load to the other.

7. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 3 or 4, wherein

said sensor unit comprises a plurality of floor-mounted load sensors adapted to be mounted on a floor of said premises, and

said diagnosis section is configured to analyze the walking signal from the floor-mounted load sensors to obtain a foot step for each of the left and right user'"'"'s feet, determine said leg strength as a greater one of the foot steps, and determine said leg balance ratio as a ratio of one of the right and left foot steps to the other.

8. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 3 or 4, wherein

said sensor unit comprises a plurality of floor-mounted load sensors adapted to be mounted on a floor of said premises, and a plurality of handrail-mounted load sensors adapted to be disposed along a length of a handrail provided for a stairway or corridor of the premises,

said diagnosis section being configured to measure a hand bad acting on the handrail and a foot load acting on the floor for each of the left and right feet based upon floor signals generated from said floor-mounted load sensors and handrail signals generated from said handrail-mounted load sensors as the user moves along the stairway or the floor, and to obtain a load ratio between the hand load and the foot load for each of the left and right feet, said diagnosis section being configured to determine the representative value as a smaller one of the load ratios, and define the leg balance ratio as a ratio between the left foot load and the right foot load.

9. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein

said server includes an exercise projecting section configured to prepare an exercise project corresponding to the determined walking ability data, and to write thus prepared exercise project in said judgment table,

said system further including an exercise machine by which the user practices said exercise project, said exercise machine being provided with a movable member which applies an external force to the user,

said information providing section being configured to transmit said exercise project to said exercise machine by way of said communication network, and

said exercise machine including a control section which is configured to control said movable member in order to give an exercise movement to the user in accordance with the exercise project.

10. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 9, further including:

verified information capturing means configured to obtain physical characteristic data of the user, and a user table configured to store characteristic data with regard to a plurality of the users,

said user table being configured to store user codes and physical judgment data specifying physical characteristics of the users,

said judgment table being configured to store said user code,

said server including a user identification section configured to select the user code in match with the physical judgment data based upon the physical characteristic data obtained at said verified information capturing means, and provide thus selected user code to said diagnosis section,

said diagnosis section being configured to store the determined walking ability data in association with said user code in said judgment table,

said exercise machine being equipped with user selection means for selecting the user code from within said user table, and being configured to read out the exercise project relating the selected user code, and provide the exercise project to said control section.

11. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 10, wherein

said exercise machine and said information reporting unit is incorporated into a unitary structure.

12. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 10, wherein

said exercise machine is configure to cause said movable member to give a passive exercise movement of stretching muscles of the user according to said exercise project.

13. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 12, wherein

said movable member is composed of a seat for bearing the user'"'"'s buttocks and a footrest for the user'"'"'s foot,

said seat being controlled to vary its position in accordance with said exercise project, and

said footrest being configured to keep the user'"'"'s knee joint at a constant angle irrespective of the position of said seat.

14. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 13, wherein

said exercise machine comprises abase and a drive mechanism for moving said seat above the base, and

said footrest is composed of a pair of left and right foot plates spaced in a lateral direction of said base,

said drive mechanism being configured to alternately make a left leg movement of reciprocating said seat between a neutral position and a position close to said left foot plate within a vertical plane including the seat in said neutral position and said left foot plate, and a right leg movement of reciprocating said seat between said neutral position and a position close to said right foot plate within a vertical plane including the seat in said neutral position and said right foot plate,

said control section being configured to vary a shifting amount of said seat relative to said foot plate in each of said left and right leg movements, and

said control section being configured to determine shifting amounts of said seat respectively in said left and right leg movements in accordance with said leg strength and said leg balance ratio defined by said exercise project.

15. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 14, wherein

said diagnosis section is configured to define said leg strength by one of the followings:

a) a longer one of left and right floor-contact times (TR and TL) measured respectively for the left and right user'"'"'s legs and starting from the touching of the foot with the floor and ending with the leaving of the foot from the floor,

b) a greater one of left and right loads (FR and FL) acting respectively from the left and right user'"'"'s feet to the floor,

c) a greater one of left and right foot steps respectively of the left and right user'"'"'s feet;

d) a less one of left and right offset distances measured respectively of the left and right user'"'"'s feet from a travel path of a user'"'"'s weight center to laterally spaced touching points where the left and right feet touch the floor, and

said diagnosis section is configured to define said leg balance ratio by one of the followings;

e) a ratio between the left and right floor-contact times,

f) a ratio between the left and right loads,

g) a ratio between the left and right foot steps,

h) a ratio between the left and right offset distances, and

i) a ratio between the left and right toe angles;

wherein said diagnosis section is configured to store the defined leg strength and the leg balance ratio in said judgment table.

16. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 14, wherein

said sensor unit comprises a plurality of floor-mounted load sensors adapted to be mounted on a floor of said premises, and a plurality of handrail-mounted load sensors adapted to be disposed along a length of a handrail provided for a stairway or corridor of the premises,

said diagnosis section being configured to obtain a load ratio based upon floor signals generated from said floor-mounted load sensors and handrail signals generated from said handrail-mounted load sensors as the user moves along the stairway or the floor, to obtain a load ratio between a hand load acting on the handrail and a foot load acting on the floor for each of the left and right feet, said diagnosis section being configured to determine the representative value as a smaller one of the load ratios, and determine the leg balance ratio as a ratio between the load ratio for the left foot and that for the right foot.

17. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 14, wherein

said drive mechanism comprises:

a height adjusting means for adjusting a height of the seat from said base;

a shift-amount adjusting means for adjusting said shifting amount for each of the left and right leg movements;

a cycle adjusting means for varying a reciprocation cycle of each of the left and right leg movements; and

a timer for adjusting a driving time period for driving said seat,

said control section being configured to control at least one of said height adjusting means, said shift-amount adjusting means, said cycle adjusting means, and said timer in accordance with said leg strength and said leg balance ratio provided by said exercise project.

18. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 14, wherein

said drive mechanism is configured to adjust a height of said seat from said base,

said user table being configured to store height data of the users,

said diagnosis section being configured to read out the height data from said user table based upon the user code and add the height data to said exercise project, and

said control section being configured to vary the height of said seat based upon the height data.

19. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 9, further including:

an exercise control table configured to store exercise control information including parameters in association with the walking ability data specified by said exercise project, said parameters being used in said height adjusting means, said shift-amount adjusting means, said cycle adjusting means, and said timer of said exercise machine, and

said control section of the exercise machine being configured to control said movable member in accordance with the exercise control information corresponding to the walking ability data derived from said judgment table.

20. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 16, wherein

said exercise control table is located in a data server connected to said server through said communication network.

21. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 16, wherein

said exercise control table is located in said server.

22. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said sensor unit comprises a camera which takes an image of the user in walking,

said diagnosis section being configured to determine the walking ability on a basis of the image of the user in walking.

23. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 9, further including:

an exercise machine table configured to store different kinds of the exercise machines and exercise performances expected respectively to said exercise machines,

said diagnosis section being configured to obtain, from said exercise machine table, an exercise machine code optimum for the determined walking ability data, and transmit the exercise machine code to said information reporting unit, and

said information reporting unit being configured to report information about the exercise machine corresponding to thus transmitted exercise machine code.

24. A walking ability diagnosis system as set forth in claim 9, wherein

said sensor unit comprises a camera which takes an image of the user in walking,

said diagnosis section being configured to determine the walking ability on a basis of the image of the user in walking.