Personal protection device

Abstract

A personal protection device can be used to protect individuals from falls. The device can be linked to a mechanical or electrical device, which triggers deployment of the device when the individual accelerates vertically. In this manner, a falling individual's injuries such as hip fractures, upper extremity injuries, and head injuries are minimized by the mediated gradual deceleration of the wearer of the device. The device allows mobility of the individual, because it is worn in a non-deployed compact form within a wearable article of clothing or belt. The device may also be used to protect non-ambulatory individuals who sustain falls from a bed or chair.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 694,020, filed on Jun. 24, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to the field of personal protection devices and, in particular, to devices for protecting a user from injury due to falls. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The elderly have long sustained serious injuries from falls from a standing position. The elderly are at a particularly high risk for falling, because of deterioration in the quality of sight, balance, coordination, and proprioception or the sense of their body's position in 3-dimensional space. Additionally, high rates of osteoporosis in this population make falls particularly injurious with high fracture rates. Probably most surprising is the statistic that 50% of people over the age of 80 die within one year of sustaini...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] The present invention relates to injury prevention, for example hip fractures, in people prone to falls, because, for example, of advanced age or movement disorders. In one embodiment, the present invention is an inflatable airbag that is activated when a sensor detects that the wearer of the device is falling, but that is sufficiently light weight and easily worn to allow the wearer to have a normal degree of mobility and thereby not impede the wearer's normal activities. Additionally, the device can protect a wearer in a sitting or prone position, as encountered in a wheelchair or bed. One object of the invention is to deploy the airbag in the direction the user is falling by linking the direction of deployment to, for example, an accelerometer's measured direction of fall.

[0010] Generally, the present invention includes a belt, harness, or other article of clothing, an airbag enclosed within the article of clothing, a sensor, a manual release device, and a cartridge of a compressed substance that when released rapidly fills the airbag with a gas and causes deployment of the airbag, such that the wearer falls on the airbag instead of the ground. The airbag is packed within the belt or harness and fastened in place. The fastener is disengaged by activation of the device and airbag inflation, which allows airbag deployment. The device can also be designed to rapidly deflate once the wearer has been gradually decelerated during the fall.

[0012] In one aspect, the invention relates to a personal protection device including an article adapted for wearing by an individual, an inflatable airbag at least partially disposed within the article, a deployment mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag, an inflation mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for inflating the airbag, and a mechanism for automatically deflating the airbag. The deployment mechanism deploys the airbag in response to one or more signals generated based on a status of the individual and the airbag protects the individual from injury. The airbag can be automatically deflated after at least one of an impact, a predetermined time period, and / or a changed status of the individual, for example, when the individual becomes substantially motionless. The device can be manually activated by a wearer if they are about to fall and can include an on / off switch to arm / disarm the device as necessary.

[0013] In another aspect, the invention relates to a personal protection device including an article adapted for wearing by an individual, an inflatable airbag at least partially disposed within the article, a deployment mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag, and an inflation mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for inflating the airbag. The deployment mechanism deploys the airbag in response to one or more signals generated based on a status of the individual and the airbag protects the individual from injury. In one embodiment, the signal(s) is generated by a three-axis accelerometer when the individual falls. Additionally or alternatively, the signal(s) can be generated by an inclinometer, an electro-mechanical sensor, an electromagnetic switch, or an infrared / laser measurement device.

[0015] In another aspect, the invention relates to a personal protection device including an article adapted for wearing by an individual, an inflatable airbag at least partially disposed within the article, a deployment mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag, an inflation mechanism disposed on at least one of the article and the airbag for inflating the airbag, and electronic circuitry. The deployment mechanism deploys the airbag in response to a signal generated based on a status of the individual and the airbag protects the individual from injury. The electronic circuitry includes a sensor, a microprocessor in electrical communication with the sensor, and a set of instructions (e.g., a software program) stored within the microprocessor. The sensor sends the signal to the processor in response to an event and the set of instructions determines a response based on the signal. In one embodiment, more than one sensor can be used to send signals to the microprocessor, and the instructions stored within the microprocessor can determine a response based on multiple signals. The set of instructions can determine when and in which direction to deploy the airbag.

Problems solved by technology

Additionally, a heart monitor may be attached to the device such that an abnormal heart rhythm may signal airbag deployment and or result in transmission of the heart rhythm to medical staff.

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