Apparatus for analyzing the balancing function of the human body

• US 4,122,840 A
• Filed: 05/23/1977
• Issued: 10/31/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yaesu Rehabili Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yaesu Rehabili Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Kazuo, Ohnishi, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/799,690
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 128/2 R, 128/2 S, 35/22 R, 340/272, 340/279, 340/282
• US Class Current: 600/592
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 for weighing persons
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/905 Feedback to patient of biological signal other than brain electric signal

Abstract

A person to be tested steps on a pair of foot steps, and a plurality of body load detectors sense the body load of the person, as applied to the foot steps. An arithmetic circuit receives the body load signals and provides difference signals which are displayed so that the person being tested can observe them. The person being tested sees body load distribution patterns on the display, and adjusts his body balance as a function thereof. Maximum-length linear shift register signals are provided which unbalance the body load distribution of the person being tested while standing on the foot steps. When the person observes these signals in the form of target signals, that person attempts to adjust the body load distribution so as to result in a balanced condition.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for analyzing human body'"'"'s balancing function adapted to analyze the body load distributions of a person tested and applied onto his right and left feet so as to adjust his body balance, the improvement comprising:

a pair of parallel foot steps spaced from each other, the person tested placing right and left feet on said foot steps;

a plurality of body load detectors within said foot steps so as to detect body load distributions applied onto the right and left feet of the person tested;

an arithmetic circuit for receiving the body load signals detected by the plurality of body load detectors and developing a difference signal corresponding to the body load distributions applied onto the right and left feet of the person tested; and

display means for displaying the difference signal from the arithmetic circuit and informing the person tested of the adjustability of his body balancing by visual feedbacks.

2. In an apparatus for analyzing a human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 1, the improvement further comprising:

a pair of transverse bars located side by side with said pair of foot steps so as to enable the person tested on the foot steps to hold them by his hands and thereby assist his body balance maintenance force;

a plurality of body load detectors beneath the ends of the transverse bars for detecting the body balance maintenance assistance force by the person tested applied onto the transverse bars;

an arithmetic circuit for receiving the body balance maintenance assistance force from the plurality of body load detectors and developing a difference signal corresponding to the body load distribution difference applied onto the transverse bars; and

display means to display the last-mentioned difference signals.

3. In an apparatus for analyzing human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 2, wherein said arithmetic circuit comprises:

a first adder for adding the body load distribution signals detected by the body load detectors provided within one of the foot steps;

a second adder for adding the body load distribution signals detected by the body load detectors provided within the other of the foot steps; and

a subtractor which effects a subtraction of the output signals from said first and second adders.

4. In an apparatus for analyzing human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said body load detectors within the foot steps and beneath the transverse bars comprises a differential transformer.

5. In an apparatus for analyzing human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display means comprises a plurality of luminous diodes in matrix arrangements for showing the body load distributions of the person tested as luminous zones between bright lines of the luminous diodes in a reference row and another transferring row.

6. In an apparatus for analyzing a human body'"'"'s balancing function by analyzing the body load distributions of a person tested and applied onto right and left feet so as to adjust the body balance, the improvement comprising;

a pair of parallel foot steps spaced from each other, the person tested placing right and left feet on said foot steps;

a plurality of body load detectors within said foot steps for detecting the body load distributions applied onto the right and left feet of the person tested;

an arithmetic circuit for receiving the body load distribution signals detected by said body load detectors and developing a difference signal of the body load distributions applied onto the right and left feet of the person tested;

a target signal generator providing target signals in the view of the person on the foot steps to render his balanced body load distribution into unbalanced condition;

target signal display means for receiving said target signals and displaying the same; and

display means for displaying the difference signal from the arithmetic circuit and/or the transfers of the body load distributions of the person tested when reacting while viewing the target signals shown on the target signal display means.

7. In an apparatus for analyzing human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 6, the improvement further comprising;

a pair of transverse bars side by side with said pair of foot steps so as to enable a person tested on the foot steps to hold them by his hands and assist his body balance maintenance force;

a plurality of body load detectors beneath the ends of said transverse bars so as to detect the body balance maintenance assistance force by said person applied onto the transverse bars;

an arithmetic circuit for receiving the body balance maintenance assistance force from the plurality of body load detectors and developing a difference signal corresponding to the body load distribution difference applied onto said transverse bars; and

display means for displaying the difference signals.

8. In an apparatus for analyzing a human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 7, wherein the arithmetic circuit comprises:

a first adder for adding body load distribution signals detected by the body load detectors provided within one of the foot steps;

a second adder for adding the body load distribution signals detected by the body load detectors provided within the other of said foot steps; and

a substractor for subtraction of the output signals from the first and second adders.

9. In an apparatus for analyzing a human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the body load detectors within said foot steps and beneath the transverse bars comprises a differential transformer.

10. In an apparatus for analyzing human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 6, wherein said display means comprises a plurality of luminous diodes in matrix arrangements for showing the body load distributions of said person as luminous zones between bright lines of the luminous diodes in a reference row and another row.

11. In an apparatus for analyzing a human body'"'"'s balancing function as claimed in claim 6, wherein said target signal generator comprises a clock pulse generator emitting clock pulse signals of constant period, and a maximum-length linear shift register signal generator for receiving the clock pulse signals from the clock pulse generator and developing maximum-length linear shift register signals as target signals for the person tested.