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Force and/or motion measurement system and a method of testing a subject using the same

  • US 9,081,436 B1
  • Filed: 08/30/2014
  • Issued: 07/14/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for testing a subject disposed on a force measurement assembly, the method comprising the steps of:

  • providing a force measurement assembly configured to receive a subject, the force measurement assembly including;

    a surface for receiving at least one portion of the body of the subject; and

    at least one force transducer, the at least one force transducer configured to sense one or more measured quantities and output one or more signals that are representative of forces and/or moments being applied to the surface of the force measurement assembly by the subject;

    providing at least one visual display device having an output screen, the at least one visual display device configured to display one or more images on the output screen so that the images are viewable by the subject, and/or providing a visual surround device configured to be mechanically displaced by one or more first actuators, the output screen of the at least one visual display device configured to at least partially circumscribe three sides of a torso of the subject and to substantially encompass a peripheral vision of the subject or the visual surround device configured to at least partially circumscribe three sides of the torso of the subject and to substantially encompass the peripheral vision of the subject, the output screen of the at least one visual display device further comprising a bottom opening with a peripheral edge configured to partially circumscribe an area occupied by the subject or the visual surround device further comprising a bottom opening with a peripheral edge configured to partially circumscribe the area occupied by the subject;

    providing one or more data processing devices operatively coupled to the force measurement assembly and the at least one visual display device and/or the one or more first actuators of the visual surround device, the one or more data processing devices configured to receive the one or more signals that are representative of the forces and/or moments being applied to the surface of the force measurement assembly by the subject and to convert the one or more signals into output forces and/or moments;

    positioning the subject on the surface of the force measurement assembly and at least partially within the output screen of the at least one visual display device or at least partially within the visual surround device such that the output screen of the at least one visual display device at least partially circumscribes three sides of the torso of the subject and substantially encompasses the peripheral vision of the subject or the visual surround device at least partially circumscribes three sides of the torso of the subject and substantially encompasses the peripheral vision of the subject, and the peripheral edge of the bottom opening of the at least one visual display device partially circumscribes the area occupied by the subject or the peripheral edge of the bottom opening of the visual surround device partially circumscribes the area occupied by the subject;

    sensing, by utilizing the at least one force transducer, one or more measured quantities that are representative of forces and/or moments being applied to the surface of the force measurement assembly by the subject and outputting one or more signals representative thereof;

    converting, by using the one or more data processing devices, the one or more signals that are representative of the forces and/or moments being applied to the surface of the force measurement assembly by the subject into one or more load output values;

    computing, by using the one or more data processing devices, one or more numerical values that are indicative of a postural stability of a subject by using the one or more load output values;

    generating, by using the one or more data processing devices, one or more images that are displayed on the output screen of the at least one visual display device, the one or more images being initially displayed on the output screen of the at least one visual display device in an initial condition with an initial image velocity value, and subsequent to the initial condition, the one or more images being displaced on the output screen of the at least one visual display device in accordance with a subsequent image velocity value that incrementally changes over time as a subject test progresses, or generating, by using the one or more data processing devices, a motion profile for the visual surround device, the visual surround device initially being maintained at an initial visual surround velocity value in accordance with an initial condition of the motion profile, and subsequent to the initial condition, the visual surround device being mechanically displaced in accordance with a subsequent visual surround velocity value that incrementally changes over time as a subject test progresses; and

    evaluating, by using the one or more numerical values computed by the one or more data processing devices, a performance of the subject during the progression of the subject test in order to assess a postural stability of the subject.

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