Optimized mobility aid device for patients with Parkinson's disease (Metroline) with two linear-laser markers and a sensory-vibratory marker

Abstract

The invention of a movement assistance device for Parkinson's patients, which is used in the field of medical (electronic) engineering, was carried out to solve this problem of movement disorders in Parkinson's patients by providing a solution to apply external markers in a non-invasive manner.

Description

Description of the invention Title of the invention Optimized motion assist device for Parkinson's patients (Metroline) with two linear-laser markers and a sensory-vibratory marker Technical background of the relevant invention Medical Engineering (Electronics) Technical problem and stating the objectives of the invention Freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson's patients causes a temporary halt in effective walking, or "sticking the feet to the ground." The severity of this disorder is about 63% during turning, 23% during starting, 12% during walking on a narrow path, and 9% when reaching the destination. Several factors play a role in the improvement of FOG, including drug treatments or invasive surgeries that temporarily improve symptoms. Another treatment method in this field is the use of non-invasive biofeedback to stimulate the patient's auditory, visual, and tactile senses, which recent research shows has attracted more attention from patients than other treatment methods due to their better performance and ease of use. The use of sensory markers causes changes in postural control, gait patterns, relief from motor rigidity, prevention of falls, and freedom of movement and comfort for patients. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system that causes disruption in the communication between neurons in the brain. This consequence can severely impair the patients' motor skills. In scientific discussions, these motor disorders are known as freezing of gait (FOG). Recent studies have shown that one way to improve or overcome these motor disorders is to use the patient's senses to stimulate or connect the brain's neurons as an alternative or auxiliary way in the motor part of the brain. Therefore, in recent years, markers have been used for this purpose, each of which can stimulate different senses of the patient in order to walk and overcome motor rigidity. Regarding the sense of sight, linear lasers are used, which create movement goals in the patient's mind by shining them on the ground, and rhythmic auditory pulses have been used to stimulate hearing, which can make the patient's movement steps more balanced.Another of these markers that focuses on stimulating the sense of touch is vibrational movements that are applied to the peripheral nerves by creating rhythmic pulses. So far, various devices have been developed in this regard and have reached the commercial stage. For example, various types of linear lasers have been produced that are connected to the patient's cane or walker, which simultaneously produce rhythmic auditory pulses in some devices. Regarding the use of visual markers, one of the devices developed in this field uses two linear lasers installed on the patient's shoes, which, by detecting the position of the patient's feet, create step-by-step linear targets that provide better performance for patients compared to the previous type of markers. Another device called Cue 1 has been produced that, in addition to creating auditory pulses, creates vibrational pulses that focus exclusively on stimulating the peripheral nerves in the sternum area. Based on the research conducted, we have developed a device in this field that can provide auditory, visual, and tactile-vibratory indicators simultaneously - synced or separately - to the patient in order to overcome rigidity of movement. It is worth noting that so far, a device capable of using all indicators in a combined or integrated manner has not been developed. Therefore, by using all the above features in one device, we have provided the patient with conditions in which each of the indicators can be used separately or in a combined manner, depending on the level of progression of the disease. In this regard, a practical test has been conducted on patients, and the data shows that the combined use of these indicators has a significant effect on improving the rigidity of movement of patients. A description of the state of the prior art and the history of developments related to the claimed invention. In 2014, Liz Pip designed a shoe called Path Finder at the Royal College of Art in London that uses laser technology to improve the speed and stride of people with Parkinson's. The initial results of this invention were presented in 2016 at the annual Footwear Health Tech conference in the Netherlands. The invention is now commercialized and available for sale.  Laser and vibrating sports shoes, a special walking guide for Parkinson's patients, registered number 108992, were created by Neda Barushek, Mehdi Hashemi Mashauf, and Hossein Rashedi, which has the ability to apply laser and sensory-vibratory markers. In 2019, a patent was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office under the registration number US10251611B2 for a motion sensor that uses only a visual indicator. This device uses a motion sensor mounted on the patient to control the visual indicator. In 2023, US20200353254a was registered in the United States Patent Office, which uses two electrodes to magnetically stimulate the leg muscles, which improves the rigidity of Parkinson's patients. (This method causes pain in the area of ​​stimulation and restlessness in the patient) In this device, we have used all the external indicators (visual, auditory, and sensory-vibratory) that were not used in previous inventions. In addition to using the auditory indicator, we have also used the visual indicator in an optimized way, where the laser lines are applied according to the patient's stride, which is detected by the pressure-resistance sensors installed on the patient's heel and sent to the microcontroller. Providing a solution to an existing technical problem along with an accurate, sufficient, and integrated description of the invention Considering the review of existing devices that have been made in this field so far, we have designed and produced a device in this field that can have all the features of its predecessors, meaning that visual, auditory, and tactile indicators can be used in a combined manner, dependent on other indicators, or independently. The use of all three indicators requires the design of an electronic circuit that can synchronize the output pulses with each other. In other words, this device uses signal processing algorithms to combine information so that the patient can benefit from it. Also, the visual indicator operates step-by-step, which can be of great help in the patient's walking (so far, a device based on the combination of all three indicators and their synchronization in order to stimulate the patient's brain signals in order to overcome the patient's motor rigidity, which requires synchronization and a signal processing circuit, has not been developed). Therefore, in this regard, each of the indicators is explained separately as follows: 1- Auditory indicator: In this regard, this device uses a metronome system (a musical practice tool that produces uniform and continuous beats to help musicians maintain the rhythm of a piece of music). The pulses generated can be changed and adjusted based on the BPM (beats per minute) unit, which is determined based on the performance of each patient. 2- Vision indicator: In this context, two linear lasers are used, which are connected to the patient's knee. The activation command of each of the lasers is made by a pressure-resistance sensor placed on the patient's heel, which shows the patient's movement status to the main microcontroller. The placement of the lasers on the patient's knee (as shown in the attached photo and video of how the device works) creates lines that are in line with the patient's vision, which can provide better performance compared to the previous model. It is worth noting that the distance of the laser lines from the patient, which defines the step length, can be adjusted and changed based on the severity of the movement disorder of each patient. 3-Tactile-vibrating indicator: In this part, a coin vibrator is used that is controlled by the main microcontroller. The vibration module under the control of the microcontroller has the ability to synchronize with the metronome module that is set based on BPM or can be controlled based on the patient's step that can be detected by pressure-resistance sensors. In addition to the aforementioned capabilities, this module can operate independently and set and apply rhythmic pulses based on milliseconds, which can act as a tactile-vibrating indicator. The vibration module can be used in any part of the patient's peripheral nerves, including the sternum area and other parts. In terms of progress, this device consists of auditory (metronome), visual (laser lines), and sensory-vibration (vibration) modules. In connection with the input section of the device, which uses a resistance sensor, it can send the patient's standing position to the microcontroller based on the amount of pressure on the patient's heel, which can be measured with the ohm parameter, and the processing unit adapts the device's outputs to the patient's condition based on the amount of input resistance. This feature allows the visual module (laser lines) to operate step by step based on the patient's step, which tests show that the patient can establish a better relationship with this feature in the visual part. Regarding the sensory-vibration module, the microcontroller activates the vibration motor based on the patient's step, which is used as a vibration indicator in the patient's sternum area to overcome freezing. The sensory-vibratory indicator can also function as an independent unit, so that the vibration rate can be adjusted and applied rhythmically in milliseconds. Or the sensory-vibratory output can be activated from the beeps output of the auditory module. It is worth noting that each of these options is adjusted and used according to the patient's condition and the severity of the disease progression based on the doctor's opinion. Regarding the auditory marker, which is considered as an independent unit in this device, it produces rhythmic pulses that are adjusted based on ticks per minute and used as auditory stimulation for the patient to overcome motor rigidity. Explanation of shapes, maps and diagrams Figure 1: Overall system performance diagram Figure 2: How the lasers are placed (visual indicator on the knee) 1) Controller device 2) Location of lasers Figure 3: The location of the motion sensors is in the heel. 1) Resistive sensors identify the patient's movement position 2) Laser lines Figure 4: Image of the controller device that controls accessories, including lasers and related sensors. Figure 5: The device's main menu includes three sections: audible, visual, and tactile-vibratory indicators. Figure 6: The device's audio menu in the form of a metronome, where the number of beeps per minute and volume can be adjusted from this menu. Figure 7: Menu showing the visual and functional indication of the pressure-resistive sensors visible in this subcategory. Figure 8: Sensory-vibratory indicator menu that can be synced based on auditory and visual indicators and can also operate independently in the Continued section. Figure 9: The continued menu sub-menu in the vibration sensor section, which can be set and applied based on the vibration pulse in milliseconds. A clear and precise statement of the advantages of the claimed invention over prior inventions. Ability to apply three indicators (visual, auditory, and sensory-vibratory) simultaneously or in combination  Ability to set quantitative indicators individually and dependent on other indicators Automatic synchronization of the visual indicator according to the patient's movement position Ability to adjust the patient's stride length depending on the level of disease progression Can be used for all Parkinson's patients with movement disorders as a non-invasive treatment method Given that the cost of this device is very affordable, it can be used by maximum Parkinson's patients. Description of at least one implementation method for implementing the invention In this device, the Raspberry Pi microcontroller is used as the main controller, and the conditions for using other modules are provided by dedicated programming. Regarding the indicators, the auditory indicator is located in the main controller, and the visual indicator (installed in the patient's knee area) and the sensory-vibratory indicator (installed in the patient's sternum area) are connected to the main controller device via a wire. After installing the modules and the main controller on the patient, as shown in the image above, the small values ​​of the indicators are adjusted and applied according to the patient's specific conditions. Explicit mention of the industrial application of the invention This device, which falls under the category of medical devices, can be used as a non-invasive assistive device for Parkinson's patients with movement disorders.

Claims

Claim What is claimed: Claim 1) The optimized mobility aid device for patients with Parkinson's (Metroline) has two linear-laser markers, a sensory-vibratory marker, and an auditory marker. Claim 2) According to claim 1, this device uses a Raspberry Pi microcontroller as the main controller. The device controller is equipped with three external indicators, the visual indicator has two linear lasers (indicator accessories), the auditory indicator consists of a metronome simulator (located in the main controller), and the vibrating indicator is installed in the patient's sternum area and a coin vibrator is used in this indicator (indicator accessories). Claim 3) According to claim 2, the hearing indicator of this device uses a metronome system. The pulses generated are adjusted based on the BPM (beats per minute) unit, which is determined based on the performance of each patient. Claim 4). According to claim 2, the visual indicator uses two linear lasers that are connected to the patient's knee. The activation command for each of the lasers is given by a pressure-resistance sensor placed on the patient's heel, which displays the patient's movement status to the main microcontroller. Claim 5) According to claim 2, a coin vibrator is used in the tactile-vibratory indicator, which is controlled by the main microcontroller. The vibration module is synchronized under the control of the microcontroller with the metronome module, which is set based on BPM. This module can also operate independently and the rhythmic pulses are set and applied based on milliseconds.

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