Seating device for avoiding ergonomic problems

• US 7,161,490 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Huiban, Cristian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/480,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20040195876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/500, 340/666, 340/667, 340/692, 340/686.1, 340/10.52
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 9/002 with exercising means or having special therapeutic or ergonomic effects
• 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: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras

Abstract

A seating device and a method include sensors of the limbs of the human body with a database with the users ergonomic data of the human body including the user'"'"'s injury strain complains. A warning signal representing detected strain or damage in the limbs can be given. The ergonomic data includes the age, weight and characteristics of body limbs: neck, arms, hands, feet, legs; other abnormal shapes of body limbs; limbs, where a static situation should be avoided and preferred exercise is suggested when a warning signal is given. The warning signal can be given by lamps, light emitting diodes, a vibrator, a speaker, a buzzer, by a display or via an interface. The seating device can be remote-controlled by interfaces such as Bluetooth, IrDa, USB, or controlled by a computer integrated in the seating device. The sensors include pressure, temperature, proximity or camera.

Claims

1. A seating device with sensing of the positions of the limbs of a human body, comprising:

control means which is arranged to receive values from the sensors; and

sensors that are placed on the seating device to sense the positions of the limbs of the human body;

wherein the seating device has a database with ergonomic data for the human body, the control means is arranged to provide a warning signal representing detected strain or damage in the limbs in response to the ergonomic data and the sensor values including detection of a repetitive motion of the limbs by the sensors that are placed or the seating device, and wherein the sensors are placed in predetermined positions of the seating device.

2. A seating device according to claim 1, wherein the sensors comprise a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor or a camera.

3. A seating device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined positions comprise at least one of armrests positions, headrest position, backrest position, footrest position and seat position.

4. A seating device according to claim 1, wherein the control means comprises an interface arranged to control the seating device or to input data.

5. A seating device according to claim 1, wherein the control means is arranged to emit the warning signal when the user is seated wrongly or is working repetitive wrongly.

6. A seating device according to claim 1, wherein the control means comprises a data input device arranged to enter user data or to retrieve said user data.

7. A seating device according to claim 1, wherein the seating device is a chair.

8. The seating device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined positions comprise a position arranged to take a picture of the limbs of the human body.

9. The seating device of claim 1, wherein the control means comprises an interface arranged to emit the warning signal.

10. The seating device of claim 1, wherein the ergonomic data includes user specific data of a user.

11. The seating device of claim 10, wherein the user specific data includes at least one of a length of a body of the user, age of the user, length of body parts of the user, diameter of the body parts, and shapes of the body parts.

12. The seating device of claim 1, wherein the warning signal includes suggesting to a user of the seating device at least one of stooping said repetitive motion, a better position, and an exercise.

13. The seating device of claim 1, wherein the detection of said repetitive motion includes detection of at least one of a number and a duration of said repetitive motion.

14. The seating device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a pulse sensor, a heartbeat sensor and a touch sensitive sensor configured for detecting a presence of the human body.

15. A seating device with sensing of the positions of the limbs of a human body, comprising:

control means which is arranged to receive values from the sensors; and

sensors that are placed to sense the positions of the limbs of the human body;

wherein the seating device has a database with ergonomic data for the human body, the control means is arranged to provide a warning signal representing detected strain or damage in the limbs in response to the ergonomic data and the sensor values including detection of a repetitive motion of the limbs, and wherein the sensors are placed in predetermined positions, wherein the database includes a personal ID as a unique key to the database.

16. A method of avoiding ergonomic problems with a seating device, wherein the method comprises the acts of:

sensing the presence of a human body;

querying a database for ergonomic data;

sensing at least one position of the positions of the limbs of the human body including sensing a repetitive motion of at least one of the limbs by sensors that are placed on the seating device;

deciding whether strain or damage is incurred in the limbs;

giving a warning signal if strain or damage is incurred.

17. A computer program product comprising program code means stored on a computer readable medium for performing the method of claim 16 when said computer program is run on a computer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensing act includes sensing at least one of a number and a duration of said repetitive motion.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the warning signal includes suggesting to a user of the seating device at least one of stopping said repetitive motion, a better position, and an exercise.

20. A method of avoiding ergonomic problems with a seating device, wherein the method comprises the acts of:

sensing the presence of a human body;

querying a database for ergonomic data;

sensing at least one position of the positions of the limbs of the human body including sensing a repetitive motion of at least one of the limbs;

deciding whether strain or damage is incurred in the limbs;

giving a warning signal if strain or damage is incurred; and

allowing a user to enter personal ID for retrieving or entering user data from or to the database.

21. A seating device comprising:

sensors that are placed to sense positions of limbs of a human body seated in the seating device;

control means arranged to receive sensor values from the sensors; and

a database including ergonomic data for the human body and user specific data of a user that includes complaints of the user;

the control means being further arranged to provide a warning signal representing detected strain or damage to the human body in accordance with the ergonomic data and the sensor values.