Wearable Shoe Assembly Center of Gravity Fall Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current exoskeleton robots cannot accurately predict a user's center of gravity or determine if they have fallen, which is a significant safety concern, especially for older or younger individuals who are more prone to falls, leading to injuries or fatalities.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device equipped with pressure sensors and inertial sensors on a shoe assembly that calculates the center of gravity coordinate and generates an alarm signal if the user is at risk of falling, using pressure sensing values and inertial data to determine unsafe states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current exoskeleton robot uses joint angle sensors to determine user movement, then joint angle measurement is achieved, but center of gravity prediction and fall detection capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines joint angle sensors with pressure sensors and inertial sensors into an integrated sensing system. The pressure sensors are embedded in the shoe assembly to detect ground reaction forces, while inertial sensors measure acceleration and orientation. This merging of multiple sensing modalities enables simultaneous measurement of joint angles, center of gravity position, and fall detection, resolving the contradiction between maintaining joint angle measurement capability and adding fall detection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces pressure sensors as intermediary elements between the user's feet and the exoskeleton system. These pressure sensors serve as mediators that translate ground contact information into electrical signals, which are then processed to determine center of gravity position and detect falls. This intermediary sensing mechanism bridges the gap between simple joint angle measurement and comprehensive fall detection capability.
2Device complexity
If exoskeleton robot lacks ground-contacting components, then system simplicity is maintained, but accurate center of gravity prediction becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from measuring only joint angles (one-dimensional rotational data) to incorporating pressure distribution data across the shoe sole (two-dimensional spatial information). By placing pressure sensors at multiple locations on the shoe assembly, the system captures pressure distribution in the horizontal plane, enabling accurate calculation of center of gravity position through force moment calculations. This dimensional expansion from angular measurement to spatial pressure mapping resolves the contradiction between system simplicity and measurement accuracy.
3Reliability
If pressure sensors and inertial sensors are added to the shoe assembly, then fall detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the sensor system to perform multiple functions simultaneously. The pressure sensors not only detect ground reaction forces for center of gravity calculation but also provide information about stance phase and weight distribution. The inertial sensors measure both acceleration for fall detection and orientation for posture analysis. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors for each measurement task, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high fall detection accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The wearable device effectively predicts falls by detecting changes in center of gravity and alerting the user, thereby enhancing safety and preventing accidents.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of pressure sensors, disposed on the shoe assembly and configured to generate a plurality of pressure sensing values
Implementation Method 2
wearable device equipped with pressure sensors and inertial sensors
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable device and a method of operating the same are provided. The wearable device includes a shoe assembly, a plurality of pressure sensors, a processing circuit and an alarm module. The plurality of pressure sensors are disposed on the shoe assembly and configured to generate a plurality of pressure sensing values. The processing circuit is configured to calculate a center of gravity coordinate according to the plurality of pressure sensing values and coordinates of the plurality of pressure sensors, and generate a determination result according to the center of gravity coordinate. The alarm module is configured to output an alarm signal to perform an alarm function.