Advanced posture-monitoring device

• US 5,425,378 A
• Filed: 07/11/1994
• Issued: 06/20/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Richard Swezey
• Original Assignee: Richard Swezey, Swezey, Robert L.
• Inventors: Swezey, Richard, Swezey, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rimell, Sam
• Application Number:
  US08/273,595
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 128/779, 128/781, 128/782, 2/171, 2/171.1
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1071 measuring angles, e.g. using goniometers A61B5/1123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4561 Evaluating static posture, e.g. undesirable back curvature A61B5/1116 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles

Abstract

A monitoring unit is mounted atop headgear fitted with a proportional level sensor which detects head inclination in the saggital plane. A battery powered microcontroller, interfaced with the level sensor, monitors the head tilt and provides a sonic indication whenever the tilt exceeds preset limits to the front or rear. The use of a proportional level sensor of the capacitive/fluid type enables the microcontroller to be configured to allow the user to preset different tilt limits, and to select different modes, for example beginning or advanced training, sitting, standing or exercising body positions, and to set up a designated training session duration, timed by sonic indication, during which the number and direction of head tilt deviations detected may be counted. Such statistical data may be displayed to the user on an LCD display. With the level sensor mounted directly to one side of the headgear, the monitor unit in a housing atop the headgear may specially non-rigidly attached to provide a degree of wobble or totter perceptible to the user as kinesthetic/proprioceptive feedback, in addition to the audible biological feedback received from the sonic tilt limit indication. The microcontroller system may be specially configured to recognize and ignore gross movements such as reaching or bending, while still feeding back to the user the finer postural deviations.

Claims

1. A posture-monitoring device comprising:

a headpiece, worn on a user'"'"'s head;

weighting means of predetermined weight attached to said headpiece and located substantially in an upper central region thereof for providing the user with a sensation of biological feedback;

proportional tilt-detecting means attached to said headpiece and enabled for acquiring and registering data selected and entered by a person regarding limit values of tilt and for quantitatively measuring angles of frontward and backward tilting of said headpiece in the user'"'"'s saggital plane relative to a designated reference orientation of the headpiece, thereby detecting instances of such tilting which exceed the limit values of tilt; and

a sonic indicator, operationally connected to said tilt-detecting means, enabled to provide the user with sonic indication of the detected instances of excessive tilting.

2. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 1 wherein said tilt-detecting means comprises:

a level sensor attached to said headpiece and enabled to sense the angular orientation of said headpiece in the saggital plane relative to a vertical gravitational force reference, and to provide corresponding proportional angular direction information;

interface means operationally connected to said level sensor and enabled to convert angular direction information received from the level sensor into a real time tilt signal containing proportional data representing angle of tilt of the headpiece;

microcontroller means, operationally connected to said interface means and to said sonic indicator; and

user input means, operationally connected to said microcontroller means, enabling the user to select a tilt limit;

said microcontroller means being enabled to compare proportional angular data in the real time tilt signal with the tilt limit and to actuate said sonic indicator whenever the tilt signal is found to exceed the selected tilt limit.

3. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 2 wherein the tilt limit is selectable by the user in a working range which includes positive and negative values from 2 degrees to 7 degrees of tilt.

4. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 1 wherein said sonic indicator comprises a sonic transducer actuated from an audio tone signal.

5. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 4 further comprising a housing containing said interface means, said microcontroller means, said sonic transducer and a power supply battery, said housing being attached atop said headpiece so as to be disposed at a highest point of the user'"'"'s head and thus constitute at least a portion of said weighting means.

6. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 5 wherein said housing is attached resiliently and pivotedly to said headpiece so as to cause a predetermined degree of totter perceptible to the user as kinesthetic/proprioceptive biological feedback.

7. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 6 wherein said housing and contents thereof are made to have a total weight within a range from 2.5 to 4 ounces.

8. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 4 further comprising a pocket of weighted viscous material affixed to said headpiece so as to cause a predetermined degree of totter perceptible to the user as kinesthetic/proprioceptive biological feedback.

9. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 2 wherein said level sensor is attached to said headpiece at a location midway along a lower side portion thereof, so as to locate the level sensor near an axis of saggital plane tilt of said headpiece due to nodding and thus substantially isolate said sensor from effects of displacement of upper regions of said headpiece due to nodding, while enabling the level sensor to measure angles of tilt of the headpiece about the axis of tilt.

10. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 5 wherein said headpiece comprises;

a headband surrounding the user'"'"'s head;

a strap extending from front to back of the headband over the user'"'"'s head;

attachment means for attaching said housing atop said strap at a highest point of the user'"'"'s head.

11. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 10 further comprising a visor peak extending forward from said headband.

12. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 11 wherein said visor peak portion is removably attached to said headband.

13. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 10 further comprising a cross strap extending over the user'"'"'s head between two opposite ear regions of the user.

14. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 13 further comprising a lightweight underhat lining made from breathable terrycloth-like material, serving to in effect grip the user'"'"'s hair and to distribute weight of the monitor unit so as to avoid any distracting pressure points and to create an optimal buffer between the user and said device.

15. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 14 further comprising a visor brim attached to said headband and extending forward therefrom.

16. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 2 wherein said tilt-detecting means are further enabled to acquire and register user-entered data relating to a time duration of a training session utilizing said device and to accordingly time the training session and cause said sonic indicator to signify an end of the thusly timed training session duration.

17. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 16 wherein said tilt-detecting means further comprises a readout display device enabled to display to the user numeric values of operational parameters of said posture-monitoring device such as the user-selected tilt angle and timed training session duration.

18. The posture-monitoring device as defined in claim 2 wherein said microcontroller means and said user input means are configured to enable the user to select from at least two modes of operation each having corresponding preset values of plus and minus tilt limit and timed training session duration.