Apparatus for gait analysis

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for analyzing the gait of a subject moving on the device in a direction of movement (L), having: a first pressure measuring device (20) designed to receive a foot of the subject; a second pressure measuring device (30) arranged transversely to the direction of movement (L) next to the first pressure measuring device (20) and designed to receive the other foot of the subject; and a display and / or evaluation unit connected to the pressure measuring devices (20, 30), in which the first pressure measuring device (20) and the second pressure measuring device (30) are each arranged along an individual path oriented in the direction of movement (L) of the subject so as to be movable independently of each other, and are provided with at least one control device, in which the first pressure measuring device (20) and the second pressure measuring device (30) are connected to the display and / or evaluation unit. The at least one control device is designed at least for carrying out a movement of the pressure measuring device (20, 30) from a rear position (P2) opposite the direction of movement (L) into a front position (P1) in the direction of movement (L).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for gait analysis. Specifically, the present invention relates to a device for plantar pressure gait analysis, which records the kinetic parameters of a subject.

[0002] In gait analysis for recording kinetic parameters, force or pressure measurement plates are used to measure the force or force distribution transmitted from the subject's body to the ground during walking or running. The resulting plantar pressure image or plantar pressure distribution image is particularly used for the rehabilitation of stroke patients, orthopedic patients, prosthetic wearers, and patients with movement disorders, and can also be used for scientific problems, sports medicine, sprint and jump training, and post-injury rehabilitation.

[0003] To measure the dynamic force distribution on the sole during the support phase of the gait cycle, force measurement plates laid on the ground are particularly used. These force measurement plates can be arranged one after another to form a track along which the subject or patient has to walk for gait analysis, or they can also be covered by a treadmill belt as part of a treadmill device. Although pressure measurement soles inserted into the subject's shoes offer the possibility of direct measurement inside the shoes, they are very complex and often have problems with adaptation and difficulties in leading the transmission cables out of the shoes.

[0004] In particular, the advantage of using a treadmill device equipped with force measurement plates is that the space requirement and material input are relatively low compared to a track formed by force measurement plates, and at the same time, a large amount of measurement data can be collected during a run of any length.

[0005] For example, DE 10 2010 003 342 B4 discloses a treadmill device having a conveyor belt system, which includes an upper running section and a lower running section, wherein an endless conveyor belt is pulled over a running table, and sensors are arranged on the lower side of the running table, which are capable of detecting the local vertical displacement of the running table in various regions of the running table.

[0006] However, the disadvantage of existing treadmill devices is that the running track located between the force measurement plate and the subject's or patient's foot and moving above the force measurement plate distorts the measurement of the dynamic force distribution on the sole. Therefore, the data recorded using a treadmill device and the gait analysis performed therefrom are less accurate compared to the data and analysis obtained or created using a measurement section composed of a certain number of force measurement plates arranged one after another.

[0007] A device for gait rehabilitation is known from KR 10-1064891B1, in which pressure sensors are provided on two parallelly arranged treadmill belts, and the pressure sensors are arranged on the respective treadmill belts and are configured to pick up the left or right foot of the patient.

[0008] This known device designed for gait rehabilitation is not suitable for gait analysis: First, the pressure sensors installed according to the prior art can only indicate the load on the left or right foot of the patient and their mutual relationship as a measure of balance, but cannot generate a plantar pressure image. Instead, the known pressure sensors are used to control the correct positioning of the patient's feet during the device-induced movement. Second, the two treadmill belts and thus the two pressure sensors are moved in opposite directions by a common timing belt based on a previously set constant time, stride length, and speed, making unbiased gait analysis impossible.

[0009] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to improve the known treadmill device for plantar pressure gait analysis, taking advantage of its small space requirement, so that the quality of data acquisition and the resulting analysis can be comparable to the data recorded by a large-space-consuming running measurement track.

[0010] According to the present invention, this task is solved by a device having the features of claim 1. The dependent claims describe advantageous embodiments of the present invention.

[0011] The basic idea of the present invention is to utilize two phases of walking or running to create a space-saving plantar pressure gait analysis device. The normal gait sequence includes a stance phase and a swing phase. The stance phase is further divided into initial surface contact, loading response period, mid-stance period, terminal stance period end, and pre-swing period, during which the subject's foot is in contact with the surface, while the swing phase has an initial swing period, mid-swing period, and terminal swing period, during which the subject's foot is lifted off the surface and not in contact with it. It can be understood that during the stance phase, the device must be designed such that the base supporting one foot and equipped with a pressure measuring device can move from the starting position to a position opposite to the direction of movement to simulate a running movement on a usually stationary base. For example, this can be achieved by the subject's own muscle strength or by a motor, especially an electric motor, where the base can be designed as, for example, a simple plate or a conveyor belt. Now, it is essential for the present invention that the base moving in the opposite direction to the direction of movement during the stance phase of one foot moves in the direction of movement during the swing phase, so that after the end of the swing phase and at the start of the stance phase, the base is again available at the starting position for the foot to make initial contact with it. Thus, in principle, the movement of one pressure measuring device is independent of the movement of the other pressure measuring device in terms of direction, speed, and duration, and is only determined by the subject's walking movement.

[0012] Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a device for analyzing the gait of a subject moving in a moving direction on a device, where the subject can be a human or an animal, especially a mammal. The device according to the present invention has a first pressure measuring device arranged to receive one foot of the subject, a second pressure measuring device arranged beside the first pressure measuring device and transversely to the moving direction and arranged to receive the other foot of the subject, and a recording and / or evaluation unit connected to the pressure measuring devices. Therefore, according to the present invention, at least two pressure measuring devices are provided, and each pressure measuring device is designed to accommodate one foot. Thus, for a device for analyzing human gait, usually two pressure measuring devices are sufficient. However, it is also conceivable that, especially when the device is used to analyze the gait of an animal (such as a dog or a horse), a larger number of pressure measuring devices, especially four pressure measuring devices, can be provided, and each pressure measuring device is arranged to accommodate one foot.

[0013] The first pressure measuring device and the second pressure measuring device are respectively arranged to be able to move independently of each other along their respective tracks in line with the moving direction of the subject, and at least one positioning device is provided, and the at least one positioning device is at least arranged to perform a movement that moves the pressure measuring device from a rear position opposite to the moving direction to a front position arranged along the moving direction.

[0014] In other words, the device according to the present invention is arranged such that when one foot of the subject enters the swing phase, the other foot is still in the support phase, and the pressure measuring device carried by the foot still in the support phase performs an autonomous movement independent of the unloaded pressure measuring device, and the latter performs a movement along the moving direction after unloading. The released pressure measuring device is positioned along the moving direction so as to be available when receiving the foot in a new gait cycle when the foot enters the support phase from the swing phase. In particular, a detection device can be provided for this purpose, and the detection device detects the position of the corresponding foot and enables the corresponding adjustment of the corresponding pressure measuring device according to the position of the corresponding foot. Thus, a runner can run freely and independently in a straight line on the device according to the present invention, where the speed and stride are determined by the runner himself rather than by the device.

[0015] This design enables the creation of a space-saving gait analysis device, thereby making direct plantar pressure gait analysis possible.

[0016] The pressure measuring devices are preferably arranged along parallel tracks. However, depending on the differences of the subjects, the tracks can also be made to form an acute angle that is closed along the moving direction, so as to transfer the pressure of the subject to the pressure measuring devices as unchanged by the device as possible.

[0017] The actuating device is preferably designed as a spring connected to the pressure measuring device. With this design, a very simple design of the device can be achieved, in which the pressure measuring device is moved from a front position in the direction of movement to a rear position arranged against the direction of movement by the muscle force of the subject during simulated walking or running, and is automatically pulled back to the front position arranged in the running direction by the spring when the respective foot is lifted at the start of the swing phase.

[0018] A further preferred embodiment provides in each case a (transport) belt carrying the pressure measuring device. In this case, the first axis for receiving the first partial section of one of the belts arranged in the direction of movement and / or the second axis for receiving the second partial section of one of the belts arranged against the direction of movement are particularly preferred. At least the front axis can have the above-mentioned spring, whereby the rear axis can also have a spring acting in the direction against the direction of movement to achieve belt tensioning.

[0019] As an alternative or supplement to the spring design, the actuating device has at least one electric motor which moves the pressure measuring device in the direction of movement and / or against the direction of movement. Particularly preferably, the actuating device is connected to a recording and / or evaluation unit and is able to receive signals from this unit to control the electric motor. In this way, the respective pressure measuring device will be able to detect the lifting of the foot, thereby detecting the start of the swing phase, which generates a signal for activating the electric motor to move the respective pressure measuring device from the rear position to the front (starting) position.

[0020] Overall, the conveyor belt of two tracks can also be formed as an endless conveyor belt, however, without rotation, but only the upper running section moves in the direction of movement and against the direction of movement, so that the subject can move the corresponding pressure measuring device from the front position to the rear position, and then the device is arranged such that the corresponding pressure measuring device moves back from the rear position to the front position.

[0021] Finally, it is preferably provided that the first pressure measuring device and / or the second pressure measuring device is a pressure measuring plate or a pressure measuring foil. If the walking surface is a plate arranged movably instead of a conveyor belt, the design as a pressure measuring plate is particularly suitable; while when using a conveyor belt, the design as a pressure measuring foil is particularly suitable.

[0022] Compared with a conventional treadmill in the prior art, the advantage of the present invention is that in a conventional treadmill, the movement of the running belt will suddenly pull the subject's feet backward in the reverse movement direction, thereby applying a non-physiological load to the feet; while when using the device designed according to the present invention, the movable pressure measuring device itself has no speed at the moment the foot touches the pressure measuring device - this corresponds to the normal movement state when a person walks or runs on a solid ground, and enables precise measurement directly comparable to a static measurement system. Of course, this also applies when the pressure measuring device is attached to or on the belt.

[0023] However, for a conventional treadmill, the treadmill belt sets the treadmill speed, and the running speed must be manually changed using a knob switch or input button, which means that short sprints or sudden stops are impossible; and a further advantage of the present invention is that, through the present invention, using an acceleration sensor mounted on the runner's feet, the independent pressure measuring device can follow each forward and backward movement of the runner's feet - regardless of how fast the movement is and how suddenly it is changed by the runner. For this purpose, the actuating device is specifically designed to move the pressure measuring device in the reverse movement direction at the running speed determined by the acceleration sensor, and return to the starting position in the movement direction at half of the running speed. This means that the position of the runner on the treadmill remains basically unchanged, but the runner will have a feeling of running freely and unrestrainedly in a straight line forward.

[0024] Therefore, the device designed according to the present invention preferably has at least one detection device, which is arranged to detect the position of the subject's feet during the swing phase and communicate with a positioning device, which is arranged to track the pressure measuring device according to the position of the corresponding foot detected by the detection device.

[0025] Specifically, the detection device has a plurality of light barriers arranged to detect the position of the subject's feet. Alternatively or additionally, the detection device has an acceleration sensor arranged to be attached to the subject's feet. The acceleration sensor is used to detect the movement of the corresponding foot of the subject, so that during the swing phase of the foot, the pressure measuring device can be tracked according to the movement of the foot (independently of another pressure measuring device carried by the subject's foot during the support phase) and at the start of the support phase, stop at the position where the foot is about to land during the transition from the swing phase to the support phase.

[0026] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to a particularly preferred design embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. The drawings show:

[0027] Figure 1 A top view showing a particularly preferred embodiment;

[0028] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1Perspective view of a particularly preferred embodiment as shown.

[0029] Figure 1 and Figure 2 An example of a device for analyzing the gait of a subject moving in the direction of movement on a device is shown. Specifically, the drawing shows a device 10 that is set up for analyzing the gait of a person. The device is similar to a conventional treadmill, but there are significant differences, which will be described in more detail below:

[0030] Specifically, it can be seen that the device 10 has a first pressure measuring device 20 that is set up to receive the right foot of the subject, and a second pressure measuring device 30 that is aligned parallel to it and is set up to receive the left foot of the subject. Both pressure measuring devices 20, 30 are arranged on separate conveyor belts 40, 50, where the conveyor belts 40, 50 each run along a track aligned with the direction of movement L of the subject and can move independently of each other. The pressure measuring devices 20, 30 are arranged on or in the conveyor belts 40, 50 such that they can come into direct contact with the respective feet of the subject and can move along the direction of movement L and against the direction of movement L with the help of the conveyor belts 40, 50.

[0031] In principle, the pressure measuring devices 20, 30 can each occupy two positions P1, P2 along their respective tracks, namely a front position P1 (representing the starting position) arranged along the direction of movement L and a rear position P2 opposite to the direction of movement L. During the simulated walking on the device, by the muscle strength of the subject or driven by the device 10, each pressure measuring device 20, 30 moves from the front (starting) position P1 to the rear position P2 opposite to the direction of movement L during the support phase of each foot. If the foot that ends the support phase is lifted from the pressure measuring device 30 arranged in the rear position P2, the device 10 is equipped with an actuating device (not shown) that moves the pressure measuring device 30 from the rear position P2 opposite to the direction of movement L to the front position P1 arranged in the direction of movement, i.e., to the starting position.

[0032] For this purpose, the actuating device can be designed, for example, as a spring connected to the pressure measuring devices 20, 30, which is pulled from the rear position P2 to the front position P1 after the load is removed by the subject's foot. For example, such a spring can be provided on an axis arranged in the direction of movement L, which receives a first partial section of the respective belt 40, 50 arranged in the direction of movement L. In addition, a second axis for receiving a second partial section of the respective belt 40, 50 arranged in the opposite direction to the direction of movement L also helps to tension the respective belt.

[0033] However, according to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the actuating device of the device 10 has at least one electric motor, in particular an electric motor, which causes the conveyor belts 40, 50 and the pressure measuring devices 20, 30 to move in the direction of movement L and / or against the direction of movement L.

[0034] The fact that the pressure measuring devices 20, 30 on the upper side of the conveyor belt only move in the direction of movement L and against the direction of movement L, and that the lower layer operation (like a conventional conveyor belt) is not absolutely necessary also ensures a simple (cable-based) connection of the pressure measuring devices 20, 30 to the recording and / or evaluation unit. This can also be connected to the actuating device, for example, to signal the start of the swing phase to the actuating device when the foot is lifted from one of the pressure measuring devices 20, 30, and thus to signal the movement of the corresponding pressure measuring device 20, 30 from the rear position to the front position.

[0035] The pressure measuring devices 20, 30 can be designed as pressure measuring plates or pressure measuring foils, whereby the device 10 can have further devices for gait analysis, such as a camera, or devices for supporting the subject on the device 10, such as handrails 60 delimiting the longitudinal sides of the device 10.

Claims

1. A device (10) for analyzing the gait of a subject moving on the device (10) along a motion direction (L), the device (10) comprising: - a first pressure measuring device (20) arranged to receive a foot of the subject; - a second pressure measuring device (30) arranged beside the first pressure measuring device (20) transversely to the direction of movement (L) and arranged to receive the other foot of the subject; as well as - a recording and / or evaluation unit, which is connected to the pressure measuring device (20, 30); in, - the first pressure measuring device (20) and the second pressure measuring device (30) are each arranged to be movable independently of each other along a track each aligned with the direction of movement (L) of the subject; as well as - at least one actuating device is provided, which is arranged at least for executing a movement of the pressure measuring device (20, 30) from a rear position (P2) opposite to the movement direction (L) to a front position (P1) arranged along the movement direction (L).

2. The device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that The rails are aligned parallel to each other.

3. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The actuating device is designed in each case as a spring which is connected to a pressure measuring device (20, 30).

4. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A respective belt (40, 50) each carries a pressure measuring device (20, 30).

5. The device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that A first shaft, which receives a first section of one of the belts (40, 50) arranged along the movement direction (L), and / or a second shaft, which receives a second section of one of the belts (40, 50) arranged in a direction opposite to the movement direction (L).

6. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The actuation device has at least one electric motor which moves the pressure measuring device (20, 30) in the direction of movement (L) and / or counter to the direction of movement (L).

7. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The first pressure measuring device (20) and / or the second pressure measuring device (30) is a pressure measuring plate or a pressure measuring foil.

8. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one detection device is arranged to detect the position of the feet of the subject during the swing phase and communicate with the actuation device, the actuation device is arranged to track the pressure measurement device (20, 30) according to the position of the corresponding foot detected by the detection device.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that The detection device has a plurality of light barriers, and the plurality of light barriers are configured to detect the positions of the feet of the subject.

10. The device according to any one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that The detection device includes an acceleration sensor adapted to be attached to a foot of the subject.

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