Wireless footswitch and functional electrical stimulation apparatus
First Claim
1. A shoe insole for use in functional electrotherapy having a cavity opening to its lower face and a wireless footswitch module located in said cavity, wherein said footswitch module comprises:
- a load, force or pressure sensor;
a microcontroller for receiving signals from the sensor indicating phase of walking and having a power-saving mode in which a microprocessor or core forming part of said microcontroller can be disabled while inputs continue to be active;
a wireless transceiver in communication with the microcontroller for transmitting sensor state information;
a battery for providing power; and
an accelerometer for monitoring user activity/inactivity and controlling entry of the microcontroller into working and power-saving modes;
wherein the accelerometer is a 3-axis accelerometer having FIFO technology for minimising host processor load, has low power or standby modes for intelligent motion-based power management and has an SPI digital interface for providing output data.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A shoe insole has a cavity configured to provide an internal pocket open to a face of said insole, conveniently the lower face, the cavity having a length greater than its width and being directed generally along the length of the insole. A segmented structure is slideably insertable into said cavity within it is removably retained, the segments being disposed along the cavity and housing a pressure sensor, sensor state monitoring circuits, a wireless transceiver and a battery, adjacent segments being electrically connected together and hinged together by pairs of laterally spaced connector bars each mechanically connected together by links configured to maintaining the spacing between segments while permitting flexion between adjacent segments under loads encountered during walking.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A shoe insole for use in functional electrotherapy having a cavity opening to its lower face and a wireless footswitch module located in said cavity, wherein said footswitch module comprises:
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a load, force or pressure sensor; a microcontroller for receiving signals from the sensor indicating phase of walking and having a power-saving mode in which a microprocessor or core forming part of said microcontroller can be disabled while inputs continue to be active; a wireless transceiver in communication with the microcontroller for transmitting sensor state information; a battery for providing power; and an accelerometer for monitoring user activity/inactivity and controlling entry of the microcontroller into working and power-saving modes;
wherein the accelerometer is a 3-axis accelerometer having FIFO technology for minimising host processor load, has low power or standby modes for intelligent motion-based power management and has an SPI digital interface for providing output data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An electrical stimulator for attachment to a body, comprising:
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first and second electrodes for attachment to the body to apply an electrical stimulus; a shoe insole for use in functional electrotherapy having a cavity opening to its lower face and a wireless footswitch module located in said cavity, wherein said footswitch module comprises a load, force or pressure sensor, a microcontroller for receiving signals from the sensor indicating phase of walking and having a power-saving mode in which a microprocessor or core forming part of said microcontroller can be disabled while inputs continue to be active, a wireless transceiver in communication with the microcontroller for transmitting sensor state information, a battery for providing power and an accelerometer for monitoring user activity/inactivity and controlling entry of the microcontroller into working and power-saving modes; and a transceiver forming part of the simulator for communicating with the insole and providing the electrical stimulus via the first and second electrodes in response to information received from the insole;
wherein the accelerometer is a 3-axis accelerometer having FIFO technology for minimizing host processor load, has low power or standby modes for intelligent motion-based power management and has an SPI digital interface for providing output data. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A wireless footswitch for use in functional electrotherapy comprising in combination:
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a removable shoe insole comprising a single cavity configured to provide an internal pocket open to a face of said insole at an opening, the cavity having a length greater than its width and being directed generally along the length of the insole; and a single segmented structure having a length greater than its width and configured for slidable insertion through said opening in said face of said sole endwise into said cavity, said structure being inserted into said cavity within which it is removably retained; the segments being disposed along the cavity and housing a pressure sensor, sensor state monitoring circuits, a wireless transmitter and a coin cell battery; adjacent segments being electrically connected together and being mechanically connected together by flexible hinge links configured to maintain the spacing between segments while permitting flexion between adjacent segments under loads encountered during walking; and the single segmented structure having first, second and third segments disposed in a linear chain wherein a first segment houses the pressure sensor, a second segment located in a middle of said first, second and third segments houses the sensor state monitoring circuits and wireless transmitter and a third segment holds the coin cell battery. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A wireless footswitch for use in functional electrotherapy comprising in combination:
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a removable shoe insole comprising a single cavity configured to provide an internal pocket open to a face of said insole at an opening, the cavity having a length greater than its width and being directed generally along the length of the insole; and a single segmented structure having a length greater than its width and configured for slideable insertion through said opening in said face of said sole endwise into said cavity; the segments being disposed along the cavity and housing a pressure sensor, sensor state monitoring circuits, a wireless transmitter, and a coin cell battery; adjacent segments being electrically connected together and being mechanically connected together by links configured to maintain the spacing between segments while permitting flexion between adjacent segments under loads encountered during walking, said links being either strap connectors behaving as living hinges or a pair of laterally spaced connector bars, each connector bar providing links maintaining the spacing between segments while permitting flexion and rotation between the adjacent segments under loads encountered during waking; and the segmented structure having first, second and third segments disposed in a linear chain wherein a first segment houses the pressure sensor, a second segment located in a middle of said first, second and third segments houses the sensor state monitoring circuits and wireless transmitter and a third segment holds the coin cell battery.
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Specification