Hip Joint Angle Step Counter for Irregular Gait
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional step counters using acceleration sensors or sole-ground contact detection struggle to accurately count steps, especially for individuals with irregular gait patterns, such as rehabilitation patients.
Innovation Solution
A step counter and assist device utilizing right and left hip joint angle sensors to generate and filter angle difference signals, allowing for precise step counting through differential angle processing and adaptive filtering techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If acceleration sensors or sole-ground contact detection methods are used, then step counting is simple to implement, but measurement precision deteriorates for users with irregular gait patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces acceleration sensors and sole-ground contact detection with angle sensors that measure hip joint angles. This substitution enables accurate step counting for users with irregular gait patterns by directly measuring the angular displacement of the hips during walking, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of implementation and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from acceleration or ground contact to hip joint angle. By using angle sensors to detect the angular position of the hips and calculating the difference between left and right hip angles, the system achieves high measurement precision for irregular gaits while maintaining implementation simplicity through standardized sensor technology.
2Device complexity
If conventional step counting methods are used, then device complexity is low, but reliability deteriorates for rehabilitation patients with irregular walking patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional acceleration-based or contact-based detection systems with an angle sensor-based system that measures hip joint angles. This substitution improves reliability for rehabilitation patients by directly capturing the angular movement characteristics of irregular gaits, while the system complexity remains manageable through straightforward signal processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hip joint angle as an intermediary parameter between the physical movement and the step counting function. By measuring the angular position of the hips and calculating the difference between left and right sides, the system creates a reliable intermediary that accurately reflects step movements even for users with irregular walking patterns.
3Measurement precision
If angle difference signals are processed with multiple filters, then measurement precision improves for irregular gaits, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multiple filters with different characteristics to the angle difference signal, changing the signal processing parameters to optimize for irregular gait detection. By using filters with different cutoff frequencies or types (e.g., low-pass, high-pass, band-pass), the system enhances measurement precision while the complexity increase is confined to the signal processing algorithm rather than hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a step counter including a right angle sensor that outputs a right hip joint angle signal indicating a right hip joint angle of a user; a left angle sensor that outputs a left hip joint angle signal indicating a left hip joint angle of the user; a generating section that generates an angle difference signal indicating change over time of an angle difference between the right hip joint angle and the left hip joint angle, based on the right hip joint angle signal and the left hip joint angle signal; and a calculating section that calculates a step number of the user based on a difference signal generated from a difference between filtered signals resulting from the angle difference signal being applied to at least two different filters.