Rehabilitation-assisting apparatus

• US 8,723,676 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Central University
• Original Assignee: National Central University
• Inventors: Su, Mu-Chun, Jhang, Jhih-Jie, Yu, Tun-Ya, Hsieh, Yi-Zeng, Lin, Shih-Chieh
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Application Number:
  US13/273,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20130015969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.7
• US Class Current: 340/573.7
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B

Abstract

A rehabilitation-assisting apparatus is provided in this disclosure. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus includes at least one step-information sensing unit, an alert-signal generating unit and a processing unit. The step-information sensing unit can be worn on a user'"'"'s lower limb. The step-information sensing unit senses and generates step information of the user. The processing unit builds connections with the step-information sensing unit and the alert-signal generating unit. The processing unit determines if the user is walking appropriately according to the step information of the user. The processing unit drives the alert-signal generating unit to generate an alert signal when the user is not walking appropriately.

Claims

1. A rehabilitation-assisting apparatus comprising:

at least one step-information sensing unit to be worn on a user'"'"'s lower limb, wherein the step-information sensing unit senses and generates step information of the user, wherein the step-information sensing unit detects distance, wherein when the step-information sensing unit senses that a distance between a neighboring object and the user'"'"'s lower limb is less than a distance threshold, a close-proximity signal is generated and included in the step information of the user;

an alert-signal generating unit; and

a processing unit building connections with the step-information sensing unit and the alert-signal generating unit, the processing unit receives the step information of the user from the step-information sensing unit, wherein when the processing unit receives the step information with the close-proximity signal, the processing unit determines that the user is not walking appropriately, and the processing unit drives the alert-signal generating unit to generate an alert signal.

2. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a wearing piece, wherein the step-information sensing unit senses if there is a neighboring object in the rearward direction of the user'"'"'s lower limb within the distance threshold when the step-information sensing unit is worn on the user'"'"'s lower limb utilizing the wearing piece.

3. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a wearing piece, wherein the step-information sensing unit senses if there is a neighboring object in the downward direction of the user'"'"'s lower limb within the distance threshold when the step-information sensing unit is worn on the user'"'"'s lower limb utilizing the wearing piece.

4. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the step-information sensing unit further performs interruption sensing,

when the step-information sensing unit is interrupted, the step-information sensing unit generates an interruption signal to be included in the step information of the user,

when step information with the interruption signal is received, the determining module determines that the user is not walking appropriately.

5. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 4, wherein the step-information sensing unit is an ultrasonic sensor, an Infrared (Ir) interrupter sensor or an optical interruption sensor.

6. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a wearing piece, wherein the step-information sensing unit senses if there is a neighboring object causing an interruption from the rearward direction of the user'"'"'s lower limb when the step-information sensing unit is worn on the user'"'"'s lower limb utilizing the wearing piece.

7. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a wearing piece, wherein the step-information sensing unit senses if there is a neighboring object causing an interruption from the downward direction of the user'"'"'s lower limb when the interruption sensing unit is worn on the user'"'"'s lower limb utilizing the wearing piece.

8. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a projecting unit building a connection with the processing unit,

wherein the processing unit drives the projecting unit to project at least one virtual cueing line, which moves toward the user.

9. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a projecting unit building a connection with the processing unit,

wherein the processing unit drives the projecting unit to project at least one virtual cueing line moving toward the user with a predetermined curvature.

10. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a projecting unit building a connection with the processing unit; and

a pedometer building a connection with the processing unit, wherein the pedometer is utilized for generating step-counting information,

wherein the processing unit calculates a line moving speed according to the step-counting information and to drive the projecting unit to project at least one virtual cueing line moving toward the user at the line moving speed.

11. The rehabilitation-assisting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a storage unit electrically connected to the processing unit,

wherein the processing unit records step information to the storage unit when the user is not walking appropriately.