Appliance for people with reduced sense of touch or disabled people

• US 9,636,045 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reqbo ApS
• Original Assignee: Reqbo ApS
• Inventors: Fleischer, Jesper, Jensen, Anders Geert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US14/433,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20150216449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911, 34053912, 3405731, 340626, 340665-666, 3405724, 3405728, 73172, 73862041, 128736, 128779, 235375, 235492
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1036 Measuring load distribution, e.g. podologic studies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/447 specially adapted for aiding the prevention of ulcer or pressure sore development, i.e. before the ulcer or sore has developed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6807 Footwear
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold

Abstract

Disclosed herein are devices, methods and systems for monitoring and detection of pressure on a part of a body of a user. In an embodiment, a device includes a substrate having a contact surface for contacting a user, one or more sacs associated with the contact surface of the substrate, and one or more sensors in communication with the one or more sacs, the one or more sensors adapted to measure changes in pressure in the one or more sacs. The sacs contain a fluidic material configured to transmit pressure. The fluidic material is further configured to be shock-absorbing and pressure-relieving such that the fluidic material is displaceable by an action of the user contacting the contact surface causing the pressure in the fluidic material to be redistributed.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a substrate having a contact surface for contacting a user;

one or more sacs associated with the contact surface of the substrate, the sacs containing a material configured to transmit pressure and the material is configured to be shock-absorbing and pressure-relieving such that the material is displaceable by an action of the user contacting the contact surface causing the pressure in the material to be redistributed; and

one or more sensors in communication with the one or more sacs, wherein the sensor comprises a RFID tag, the RFID tag comprising a microchip, an antenna and a pressure sensor, and wherein the pressure sensor is an integral part of the RFID tag.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the sacs are fluidically connected and configured to enable the material to communicate between the sacs.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are in communication with at least one transmitter adapted to transmit a measurement by the one or more sensors.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the at least one transmitter is further adapted to receive signals from an external device.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the at least one transmitter is enabled to communicate using one or more of Radio Frequency communication (RF), Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, or Bluetooth low energy (BLE).

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are further adapted to measure one or more of temperature, humidity or acidity and changes thereto in the one or more sacs.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sacs are made of silicone material.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sacs are disposed in a meandering pattern.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sacs comprise a tubular shape sac, wherein the one or more sacs comprise a plurality of sacs, and wherein the plurality of sacs is in fluid communication with each other.

10. A system comprising:

a device comprising;

a substrate having a contact surface for contacting a user; and

one or more sacs associated with the contact surface of the substrate, the sacs containing a material configured to transmit pressure and the material is configured to be shock-absorbing and pressure-relieving such that the material is displaceable by an action of the user contacting the contact surface causing the pressure in the material to be redistributed, wherein changes in pressure in the one or more sacs are measured using one or more sensors in communication with the one or more sacs, the one or more sensors being in communication with at least one transmitter;

a controller configured to communicate with the one or more sensors corresponding to the measured changes in pressure; and

a user feedback device in communication with the controller, the user feedback device configured to provide an indication to a user based on the measured changes in pressure, wherein the sensor comprises a RFID tag, the RFID tag comprising a microchip, an antenna and a pressure sensor, and wherein the pressure sensor is an integral part of the RFID tag.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the sacs are fluidically connected and configured to enable the material to communicate between the sacs.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the user feedback device is configured to provide indication to the user using one or more of audio, visual, audiovisual, or haptic signals.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one transmitter is further adapted to receive signals from the controller.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one transmitter and/or the controller are enabled to communicate using one or more of Radio Frequency communication (RF), Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, or Bluetooth low energy (BLE).

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors are further adapted to measure one or more of temperature, humidity or acidity and changes thereto in the one or more sacs.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more sacs are made of silicone material.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more sacs disposed in a meandering pattern.

18. A method comprising:

measuring pressure exerted by a portion of a subject'"'"'s body on one or more sacs associated with a substrate having a contact surface for contacting with the portion of the subject'"'"'s body to provide a pressure information; and

transmitting the pressure information to a receiving station, wherein the pressure information indicates, using one or more of audio, visual, audiovisual or haptic signal, a pressure in excess of a predetermined threshold, wherein the sensor comprises a RFID tag, the RFID tag comprising a microchip, an antenna and a pressure sensor, and wherein the pressure sensor is an integral part of the RFID tag.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more sacs contain a material configured to transmit pressure and the material is configured to be shock-absorbing and pressure-relieving such that the material is displaceable by an action of the user contacting the contact surface causing pressure in the material to be redistributed.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein transmitting the pressure information is using one or more of Radio Frequency communication (RF), Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, or Bluetooth low energy (BLE).

21. A device comprising:

a substrate having a contact surface for contacting a user; and

one or more sacs associated with the contact surface of the substrate, the one or more sacs containing a material configured to transmit pressure and the material is configured to be shock-absorbing and pressure-relieving such that the material is displaceable by an action of the user contacting the contact surface causing the pressure in the material to be redistributed, wherein changes in pressure in the one or more sacs are measured using one or more sensors in communication with the one or more sacs, wherein the sensor comprises a RFID tag, the RFID tag comprising a microchip, an antenna and a pressure sensor, and wherein the pressure sensor is an integral part of the RFID tag.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the sacs are fluidically connected and configured to enable the material to communicate between the sacs.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the one or more sensors are in communication with at least one transmitter adapted to transmit a measurement by the one or more sensors.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the at least one transmitter is further adapted to receive signals from an external device.

25. The device of claim 21, wherein the at least one transmitter is enabled to communicate using one or more of Radio Frequency communication (RF), Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, or Bluetooth low energy (BLE).

26. The device of claim 21, wherein the one or more sensors are further adapted to measure one or more of temperature, humidity or acidity and changes thereto in the one or more sacs.

27. The device of claim 21, wherein the one or more sacs are made of silicone material.

28. The device of claim 21, wherein the one or more sacs are disposed in a meandering pattern.