Walking Training System with Real-Time Body Core Line Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Patients with hemiplegia or those wearing a prosthesis face difficulty in intuitively grasping the degree of body tilt within the permissible range during walking training, as existing technologies lack effective visualization of their gait and body alignment.

Innovation Solution

A walking training system comprising a treadmill, display device, camera, and calculation unit that calculates and displays a body core line and its permissible deflection range, allowing users to visually assess their gait and receive feedback on alignment through superimposed graphics on a real-time video, enhancing intuitive understanding and motivation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a treadmill and display device are used for walking training, then the trainee can perform walking training, but the trainee cannot intuitively grasp the degree of body tilt relative to the permissible range

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveintuitive understanding of body tiltVSAvoidlack of visual feedback on body alignment
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously captures images of the trainee's body, calculates the body core line and permissible deflection range, and displays this information in real-time on the display device. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the trainee to immediately see their body tilt status and adjust accordingly, transforming abstract proprioceptive information into concrete visual feedback that enhances intuitive understanding of body alignment during walking training

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary computational layer that processes raw image data to extract meaningful body alignment information. The calculation unit acts as an intermediary between the camera and display device, transforming complex image data into simplified visual representations (body core line and deflection range) that are easily interpretable by the trainee, thereby bridging the gap between physical movement and perceptual understanding

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the body core line is rendered with base point near the heel of affected leg, then the body core line matches trainee's sensation and visibility is improved, but the calculation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematching trainee sensation and visibilityVSAvoidcoordinate system transformation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different coordinate reference points for different parts of the body. Specifically, the body core line is calculated relative to the heel of the affected leg rather than using a uniform reference point throughout the body. This localized approach to coordinate transformation allows the body core line to align with the trainee's subjective sensation of body tilt while maintaining computational efficiency through targeted rather than comprehensive coordinate transformations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3747361B1Walking training system, non-transitory storage medium storing control program for walking training system and control method for walking training system
Publication Date: 2024.04.03 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP3747361B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3747361B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3747361B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A walking training system (100) includes a treadmill (131) configured to prompt a trainee (900) to walk, a display device (138) installed such that the trainee (900) views the display device (138) while walking on the treadmill (131), a camera (140) configured to image the trainee (900) at an angle of view at which a gait of the trainee (900) is recognizable, a calculation unit (210a) configured to calculate a tilt of a body core of the walking trainee (900) based on an image captured by the camera (140), and a display control unit (213) configured to control the display device (138) to display a body core line (330) associated with the tilt, and an index indicating at least an end of a permissible range of a deflection of the body core line (330).