Walking shoe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9504290-B2
Application number	US-201213608462-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2012
Priority date	Mar 16, 2010
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A walking shoe that senses a fall and urges a user of the shoe to perform movement for fall prevention. When the walker stumbles or almost falls, a microprocessor is activated, based on a sensing signal of a pressure-sensitive sensor that senses a pressure applied to a tread to detect a lifting velocity and/or a lifting amount of the foot based on a detection signal of an acceleration sensor, and when the lifting velocity and/or the lifting amount is lower than a reference value, the microprocessor actuates a stimulator that stimulates a bottom of the foot. At this time, since the user reflexively lifts the foot, the user can avoid stumbling.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A walking shoe comprising:
a shoe body configured to receive a foot;
a stimulator mounted on the shoe body in a position to stimulate a bottom of the foot;
an acceleration sensor mounted on the shoe body and configured to detect a first acceleration in a direction parallel to ground and a second acceleration in a direction perpendicular to the ground and generate an acceleration detection signal as a function thereof;
a range sensor mounted on the shoe body and configured to detect a distance between the shoe body and an obstacle and generate a range detection signal as a function thereof; and
a microprocessor mounted on the shoe body and configured to:
predict the trajectory of the user's foot as a function of the acceleration detection signal;
turn on the range sensor when the microprocessor determines that a trajectory of the user's foot indicates that the user is trying to lift his or her foot over an obstacle by comparing the trajectory to stored information indicative of a typical trajectory of the user's foot when he or she is walking; and
actuate the stimulator when the microprocessor determines that the user's foot is likely to hit the obstacle as a function of both the acceleration detection signal and the range detection signal, the microprocessor determining that the user's foot is likely to hit the obstacle when, a distance that the trajectory predicted that foot would be from the obstacle is less than an actual distance the foot is from the obstacle as indicated by the range detection signal.

2. The walking shoe according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressure sensor mounted on the shoe body and configured to sense a pressure applied to the bottom portion of the shoe body and to generate a pressure signal as a function thereof, the microprocessor determining that the user is walking as a function of the pressure signal.

3. The walking shoe according to claim 2 , wherein when the acceleration detection signal is not generated for a predetermined time after the microprocessor enters a standby state, and when the pressure sensor determines that the user has begun walking as a function of the pressure signal, the microprocessor returns to an activated state.

4. The walking shoe according to claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor causes information about the trajectory of the user's foot when the user is walking to be stored in memory by periodically sampling the acceleration detection signal.

5. The walking shoe of claim 4 , wherein the microprocessor causes the information about the trajectory of the user's foot when the user is walking to be stored in the memory as a function of the trajectory occurring most frequently when the user is walking.

Assignees

• Andoh Masamichi
• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Andoh Masamichi

Classifications

• A61H2201/5084

  Acceleration sensors · CPC title

• A61H2201/5064

  Position sensors · CPC title

• A61H2201/0173

  Means for preventing injuries · CPC title

• A61H3/00

  Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about (apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04 {; applying electrical currents by contact electrodes for stimulating motor muscles, e.g. walking assistance A61N1/36003}) · CPC title

• A61H2201/5048

  Audio interfaces, e.g. voice or music controlled · CPC title