Portable sensor for detecting bends of the back of a person past a predetermined lumbosacral angle

• US 5,398,019 A
• Filed: 12/22/1993
• Issued: 03/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Larry W. Barnett
• Original Assignee: Larry W. Barnett
• Inventors: Barnett, Larry W., Pfeifer, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oda, Christine K.
• Application Number:
  US08/171,849
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686, 340/689, 340/571, 340/573, 340/693, 340/575, 340/323 R, 200/61.52, 200/DIG. 2, 200/61.45 R, 128/781, 128/782
• US Class Current: 340/573.7
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/166 the sensor is mounted on a specially adapted printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 200/02 Body attached switches

Abstract

A torso attitude sensor for attachment to a human A torso at the waist. It senses when a human torso bends past a predetermined lumbosacral angle and sounds an alarm. The sensor may be worn on the left or right side of the waist because it includes two attitude responsive switches which are inclined in directions opposite to each other. The device further includes a counter for determining the number of times the electrical circuit is connected thereby providing the person, or his or her manager, with an indication of the number of times improper bending occurs. A timer is included with which actuation of an attitude responsive switch must persist for a minimum time interval before an alarm signal or excessive bending signal is generated.

Claims

1. A torso attitude sensor for determining when a person bends the back at the waist past a predetermined lumbosacral angle, comprising:

a portable housing;

at least two attitude responsive switches secured inside the housing, one of said attitude responsive switches being so oriented as to be actuated when said portable housing is inclined in a first direction in excess of a predetermined lumbosacral angle relative to an upright affixation of the portable housing to a garment at the side of the waist;

another attitude responsive switch being so oriented as to be actuated when said housing is inclined by said predetermined lumbosacral angle in a second direction opposite to that of the first direction, means for mounting the housing to one of the left and right sides of a garment worn at the waist of the person to enable actuation of one of said switches when the housing is inclined past said predetermined lumbosacral angle when the person bends the back;

means for generating a signal when one of said attitude responsive switches is actuated by an inclination of the housing past said predetermined lumbosacral angle, means, mounted within the portable housing and effectively responsive to the signal, for accumulating a count of the number of times any one of said attitude responsive switches has been actuated as a result of said person having bent his or her back in excess of the predetermined lumbosacral angle and means, within the portable housing, for producing an output signal indicative of the accumulated count;

said means for accumulating a count having means for resetting the means for accumulating a count, said resetting means being located within said housing so as to reduce access to said resetting means by said person and enable reliable monitoring of bends by said person beyond said predetermined lumbosacral angle;

wherein said mounting means includes, means, affixed to a wall of the portable housing, for attaching the housing to one of the left and right sides of a garment worn at the waist of said person;

said attaching means including a plurality of elongate parallel teeth aligned substantially transverse to an upright alignment of the portable housing, said plurality of teeth cooperatively engaging said garment so as to maintain said upright affixation of the housing when worn by the person at the waist.