Method and System for the Derivation of Human Gait Characteristics and Detecting Falls Passively from Floor Vibrations

• US 20110190667A1
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Majd Alwan, Robin A. Felder, Siddharth Dalal, Steven W. Kell
• Original Assignee: Majd Alwan, Robin A. Felder, Siddharth Dalal, Steven W. Kell
• Inventors: Kell, Steven W., Dalal, Siddharth, Felder, Robin A., Alwan, Majd
• Granted Patent: US 8,551,026 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

1-41. -41. (canceled)

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

a sensor module including a sensor configured to touch an upper surface of a floor, the sensor module configured to while the sensor is touching the upper surface of the floor detect at least one of floor acceleration, floor vibration, and floor deflection and to provide at least one of an acceleration, vibration, and deflection signal, wherein the subject can walk on the upper surface of the floor in proximity to said sensor; and

a processor configured to;

analyze the acceleration, vibration, and deflection signal and to determine gait characteristics based on the signal;

determine the gait characteristics based on the at least one signal from a single sensor module; and

detect a fall of a human being by distinguishing between steps of the human being and the fall of the human being and comparing the data to a threshold, wherein the threshold is adjustable.

43. The system of claim 42, further comprising an output module for receiving data indicative of the gait characteristics.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein said sensor module and a processor module are in wireless communication.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein said threshold is adjusted remotely.

46. The system of claim 42, further comprising a rate-of-travel detector to determine the rate-of-travel of the subject.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein the gait characteristics of the subject includes at least two of step count, pace, normal gait condition, limp, shuffle, and falls.

48. The system of claim 42, further comprising a second processor module, wherein said second processor module is configured to analyze the gait characteristics, pattern recognition, and identification determination data, wherein the identification determination data associates gait characteristics with a particular subject.

49. The system of claim 42, further comprising a fall module configured to initiate an alert call regarding a fall based on the data.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the alert call is at least partly transmitted via a wireless communication to at least one of a designated care provider and an emergency service.

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

detecting at least one of a floor acceleration, a floor vibration, and a floor deflection to provide at least one of an acceleration, vibration, and deflection signal, wherein said detecting is provided by a sensor module touching an upper surface of a floor, and wherein the subject walks on the upper surface of the floor in proximity to said sensor module;

using a processor;

analyzing the at least one signal; and

determining gait characteristics based on the at least one signal,

wherein the gait characteristics are determined based on the at least one signal from a single sensor module; and

the analyzing further includes detecting a fall of a human being by distinguishing between steps of the human being and the fall of the human being and comparing the data to a threshold, wherein the threshold is adjustable.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising outputting data indicative of the gait characteristics.

53. The method of claim 51, further comprising detecting a rate-of-travel of the subject.

54. The method of claim 51, further comprising automatically identifying signals indicative of a human body falling to determine fall data.

55. The method of claim 51, further comprising remotely adjusting the threshold.

56. The method of claim 51, further comprising initiating an alert call regarding a fall based on the data.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the alert call is at least partly transmitted via a wireless communication to at least one of a designated care provider and an emergency service.

58. A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer usable medium having computer logic embedded thereon for enabling at least one processor in a computer system to monitor gait characteristics of a subject, said computer logic configured to cause the computer system to:

receive at least one of a floor acceleration, a floor vibration, and a floor deflection signal, wherein said at least one signal is provided by a sensor module touching an upper surface of a floor, and wherein the subject can walk on the upper surface of the floor in proximity to said sensor module; and

analyze the at least one signal; and

determine gait characteristics based on the at least one signal,

wherein, the gait characteristics are determined based on the at least one signal from a single sensor module; and

the analyzing further including detecting a fall of a human being by distinguishing between steps of the human being and the fall of the human being and comparing the data to a threshold wherein the threshold is adjustable.

59. The computer program product of claim 58, wherein the threshold is adjusted remotely.

60. The computer program product of claim 58, further configured to initiate an alert call regarding a fall based on the data.

61. The computer program product of claim 60, wherein said alert call is at least partly transmitted via a wireless communication to at least one of a designated care provider and an emergency service.