System and method for 3D gait assessment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9307932-B2
Application number	US-201113810118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2011
Priority date	Jul 14, 2010
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and a method for assessment of walking and miming gait in human. The method is preferably based on the fusion of a portable device featuring inertial sensors and several new dedicated signal processing algorithms: the detection of specific temporal events and parameters, 5 optimized fusion and de-drifted integration of inertial signals, automatic and online virtual alignment of sensors module, 3D foot kinematics estimation, a kinematic model for automatic online heel and toe position estimation, and finally the extraction of relevant and clinically meaning-full outcome parameters. Advantageously including at least one wireless inertial module attached to foot, the system provides common spatio-temporal parameters (gait cycle time, stride length, and stride velocity), with the 10 advantage of being able to work in unconstrained condition such as during turning or running. It furthermore may provide original parameters for each gait cycle, both temporal (load, foot-flat and push duration) and spatial (foot clearance and turning angle), and their inter-cycles variability. The system and method according to the invention allows the assessment of various aspects of gait which have shown recently to be of premium importance in research and clinical field, including foot clearance, 15 turns, gait initiation and termination, running, or gait variability. The system may be light weight, easy to wear and use, and suitable for any application requiring objective and quantitative evaluation of gait without heavy laboratory settings.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of 3D gait assessment, the method comprising:
obtaining, using at least one inertial sensor fixed to the foot or integrated on a shoe, a turning foot parameter and a clearance foot parameter, the clearance foot parameter being based on calculated heel clearance and toe clearance values;
quantifying said turning foot parameter during gait from a spatial orientation of the foot and temporal events, including turning angle; and
applying a sen…

Assignees

• Mariani Benoît
• Aminian Kamiar
• Ecole Polytech

Inventors

• Mariani Benoît
• Aminian Kamiar

Classifications

• A61B5/6829

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B2562/0219

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B5/112 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B5/6807

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B5/1038

  Human Necessities · mapped topic