Device and method for detecting a step taken with a walking aid
View Patent ↗In one aspect, a method of detecting a step taken by a patient with a walking aid is disclosed. At least one load sensor detects a transitory positive load upon the walking aid having a maximum load value that exceeds a positive load threshold. A duration of the transitory positive load is measured. A verification is made that the measured duration of the transitory positive load upon falls within a range. The load sensor(s) and a motion sensor further detect an unweighted movement of the walking aid exceeding a movement threshold. A duration of the unweighted movement is measured. A further verification is made that the duration of the unweighted movement of the walking aid exceeds a minimum recovery phase duration threshold. Conditionally upon the detecting, the verifying, the further detecting, and the further verifying, an indicator of the step is stored in a non-transitory memory.
1 . An electronic device for detecting a step taken by a patient with a walking aid, the device comprising:
at least one load sensor configured to measure a load on the walking aid;
a motion sensor;
a non-transitory memory; and
a processor, communicatively coupled to the at least one load sensor, to the motion sensor, and to the non-transitory memory, the processor operable to:
detect, using the at least one load sensor, a transitory positive load upon the walking aid having a maximum load value that exceeds a positive load threshold;
measure a duration of the transitory positive load upon the walking aid;
verify that the measured duration of the transitory positive load upon the walking aid falls within a range defined by a lower positive duration threshold and an upper positive duration threshold;
further detect, using the at least one load sensor and the motion sensor, an unweighted movement of the walking aid exceeding a movement threshold;
measure a duration of the unweighted movement of the walking aid;
further verify that the duration of the unweighted movement of the walking aid exceeds a minimum recovery phase duration threshold; and
conditionally upon the detecting, the verifying, the further detecting, and the further verifying, store an indicator of the step in the non-transitory memory.
2 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor comprises an accelerometer and wherein the movement threshold is a minimum acceleration threshold.
3 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the positive load threshold is dynamically configurable.
4 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the positive load threshold is based, at least in part, on a weight of the patient.
5 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the positive load threshold is based, at least in part, on a type of the walking aid.
6 . The electronic device of claim 5 wherein the processor is operable to:
receive user input indicative of the type of the walking aid; and
dynamically configure the positive load threshold based on the received user input indicative of the type of the walking aid.
7 . The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the further detecting detects the unweighted movement of the walking aid occurring after and contiguously with the detected transitory positive load upon the walking aid.
8 . A computer-implemented method of detecting a step taken by a patient with a walking aid, the method comprising:
detecting, by at least one load sensor, a transitory positive load upon the walking aid having a maximum load value that exceeds a positive load threshold;
measuring a duration of the transitory positive load upon the walking aid;
verifying that the measured duration of the transitory positive load upon the walking aid falls within a range defined by a lower positive duration threshold and an upper positive duration threshold;
further detecting, by the at least one load sensor and a motion sensor, an unweighted movement of the walking aid exceeding a movement threshold;
measuring a duration of the unweighted movement of the walking aid;
further verifying that the duration of the unweighted movement of the walking aid exceeds a minimum recovery phase duration threshold; and
conditionally upon the detecting, the verifying, the further detecting, and the further verifying, storing an indicator of the step in a non-transitory memory.
9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the motion sensor comprises an accelerometer and wherein the movement threshold is a minimum acceleration threshold.
10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the positive load threshold is dynamically configurable.
11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the positive load threshold is based, at least in part, on a weight of the patient.
12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the positive load threshold is based, at least in part, on a type of the walking aid.
13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising:
receiving user input indicative of the type of the walking aid; and
dynamically configuring the positive load threshold based on the received user input indicative of the type of the walking aid.
14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein the further detecting detects the unweighted movement of the walking aid occurring after and contiguously with the detected transitory positive load upon the walking aid.