Treadmill Gait Analysis Using Sole Load and Skeletal Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing walking training systems struggle to accurately acquire gait information on trainees, particularly for paralyzed individuals, due to limitations in detecting parameters such as leg bending degree and position, leading to ineffective training.
Innovation Solution
A walking training system incorporating a treadmill with a foot sole load detection unit and skeletal information acquisition through lateral and frontal photography, allowing precise identification of skeletal information on the right and left legs based on sole load detection, enhancing gait information accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If only load sensor detection is used to determine leg state, then the detection system remains simple, but accurate gait information (leg bending degree, position) cannot be acquired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines load sensor detection with photographing device imaging to create a comprehensive gait analysis system. The load sensors detect foot sole contact states while the photographing device captures skeletal information, and both data sources are integrated to accurately determine leg bending degree, position, and overall gait characteristics that neither system could achieve alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The photographing device acts as an intermediary that captures visual skeletal information which is then processed to supplement load sensor data. This intermediary imaging system provides additional measurement dimensions (leg angle, position) that bridge the gap between simple load detection and comprehensive gait analysis.
2Measurement precision
If multiple photographing devices are added to capture skeletal information from multiple angles, then gait information accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The photographing device is designed to serve multiple functions: capturing skeletal information for gait analysis, determining leg identification (right/left leg), and providing positional data. This multi-functional approach reduces the need for separate specialized sensors for each measurement type, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If load distribution sensor is installed under the belt to detect foot sole load distribution, then leg identification accuracy improves, but the sensor installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of directly measuring complex three-dimensional foot sole pressure distributions that would require complex sensor arrays, the system uses a simplified load distribution sensor that captures essential weight-bearing information. This copied or simplified measurement approach maintains sufficient accuracy for leg identification while dramatically reducing installation complexity and manufacturing difficulty.
Data Source
AI summary
A walking training system according to an embodiment includes: a treadmill; a foot sole load detection unit configured to detect load received from foot soles of a trainee aboard a belt of the treadmill; a first photographing device configured to photograph the trainee from a lateral side; a skeletal information acquisition unit configured to acquire first skeletal information that is skeletal information on the trainee in a sagittal plane from an image photographed by the first photographing device; and a specification unit configured to specify respective pieces of skeletal information on a right leg and a left leg included in the first skeletal information acquired by the skeletal information acquisition unit, based on the load received from the foot soles of the trainee detected by the foot sole load detection unit.