Risk estimation apparatus, risk estimation system, risk estimation method, and non-transitory computer readable recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12408878-B2
Application number	US-202418413378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2024
Priority date	Jul 3, 2020
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A risk estimation apparatus includes a data acquisition unit that acquires measured data of foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot obtained by sensors that are provided in shoes and measure the foot pressures, a stance phase identification unit that identifies a starting timing and an ending timing of a stance phase of each of the left foot and the right foot from the measured data of the foot pressures, and a risk estimation unit that estimates a risk of abnormality of a lower limb on the basis of asymmetry between the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot during the stance phase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A risk estimation apparatus comprising:
sensors measuring foot pressures of a left foot and a right foot of a user, the sensors respectively provided in a left insole of a left shoe and a right insole of a right shoes of the user;
at least one memory storing instructions; and
at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:
acquire, from the sensors, measured data indicating a time variation of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot, wherein the measured data of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot are acquired on both a heel side and a toe side of each of the left foot and the right foot;
synchronize the measured data of the foot pressure of the left foot with the measured data of the foot pressure of the right foot;
calculate an index value of asymmetry between the foot pressures on the heel side and the toe side of the left foot and the right foot based on a local maximum value and a local minimum value of the synchronized measured data of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot;
estimate a risk of abnormality of a lower limb by using a machine learned model on the basis of the index value of the asymmetry between the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot,

wherein the risk of the abnormality of the lower limb is used for making a decision related to improving a gait of the user to reduce asymmetry between the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot.

2. The risk estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to synchronize the measured data of the foot pressure of the left foot with the measured data of the foot pressure of the right foot by associating data for one walking cycle of the left foot with data for one walking cycle of the right foot with respect to parts of measurement periods that overlap each other.

3. The risk estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein two sensors are provided in the left shoe and two sensors are provided in the right shoe.

4. The risk estimation apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein one sensor of the two sensors provided in the left shoe is installed on a toe side of the left shoe, and another sensor of the two sensors provided in the left shoe is installed on a heel side of the left shoe, and
wherein one sensor of the two sensors provided in the right shoe is installed on a toe side of the right shoe, and another sensor of the two sensors provided in the right shoe is installed on a heel side of the right shoe.

5. The risk estimation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors provided in the left shoe and the right shoe are installed in a bilaterally symmetrical manner with respect to each other.

6. A risk estimation method executed by a computer and comprising:
acquiring, from sensors measuring foot pressures of a left foot and a right foot and respectively provided in a left insole of a left shoe and a right insole of a right shoe of a user, measured data indicating a time variation of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot, wherein the measured data of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot are acquired on both a heel side and a toe side of each of the left foot and the right foot;
synchronizing the measured data of the foot pressure of the left foot with the measured data of the foot pressure of the right foot;
calculating an index value of asymmetry between the foot pressures on the heel side and the toe side of the left foot and the right foot based on a local maximum value and a local minimum value of the synchronized measured data of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot;
estimating a risk of abnormality of a lower limb by using a machine learned model on the basis of the index value of the asymmetry between the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot,
wherein the risk of the abnormality of the lower limb is used for making a decision related to improving a gait of the user to reduce asymmetry between the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot.

7. The risk estimation method according to claim 6 , further comprising synchronizing the measured data of the foot pressure of the left foot with the measured data of the foot pressure of the right foot by associating data for one walking cycle of the left foot with data for one walking cycle of the right foot with respect to parts of measurement periods that overlap each other.

8. The risk estimation method according to claim 6 , wherein two sensors are provided in the left shoe and two sensors are provided in the right shoe.

9. The risk estimation method according to claim 8 , wherein one sensor of the two sensors provided in the left shoe is installed on a toe side of the left shoe, and another sensor of the two sensors provided in the left shoe is installed on a heel side of the left shoe, and
wherein one sensor of the two sensors provided in the right shoe is installed on a toe side of the right shoe, and another sensor of the two sensors provided in the right shoe is installed on a heel side of the right shoe.

10. The risk estimation method according to claim 6 , wherein the sensors provided in the left shoe and the right shoe are installed in a bilaterally symmetrical manner with respect to each other.

11. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program executable by a computer to perform a risk estimation method comprising:
acquiring, from sensors measuring foot pressures of a left foot and a right foot and respectively provided in a left insole of a left shoe and a right insole of a right shoe of a user, measured data indicating a time variation of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot, wherein the measured data of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot are acquired on both a heel side and a toe side of each of the left foot and the right foot-obtained;
synchronizing the measured data of the foot pressure of the left foot with the measured data of the foot pressure of the right foot;
calculating an index value of asymmetry between the foot pressures on the heel side and the toe side of the left foot and the right foot based on a local maximum value and a local minimum value of the synchronized measured data of the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot;
estimating a risk of abnormality of a lower limb by using a machine learned model on the basis of the index value of the asymmetry between the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot,
wherein the risk of the abnormality of the lower limb is used for making a decision related to improving a gait of the user to reduce asymmetry between the foot pressures of the left foot and the right foot.

12. The risk estimation method according to claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises synchronizing the measured data of the foot pressure of the left foot with the measured data of the foot pressure of the right foot by associating data for one walking cycle of the left foot with data for one walking cycle of the right foot with respect to parts of measurement periods that overlap each other.

13. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 11 , wherein two sensors are provided in the left shoe and two sensors are provided in the right shoe.

14. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13 , wherein one sensor of the two sensors provided in the left shoe is installed on a toe side of the left shoe, and another sensor of the two sensors provided in the left shoe is installed on a heel side of the left shoe, and
wherein one sensor

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Huang Chenhui
• Fukushi Kenichiro
• Sekiguchi Yusuke
• Yaguchi Haruki
• Honda Keita
• Izumi Shinichi
• Owaki Dai

Classifications

• G16H40/67

  for remote operation · CPC title

• A61B2562/0247

  Pressure sensors · CPC title

• G16H50/30 Primary

  for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment · CPC title

• A61B2562/04

  Arrangements of multiple sensors of the same type · CPC title

• A61B5/6807

  Footwear · CPC title