Claims:CLAIMS
I/We Claim:
1. A foot slip prevention system (100) comprising:
a wearable unit (102) adapted to be worn by a user, wherein the wearable unit (102) comprise airbags (112a-112n) to be deployed based on a requirement;
a foot sensor (104) coupled to the wearable unit (102), and configured to sense signals representing a pressure exerted by a foot of the user; and
a control unit (106) coupled with the wearable unit (102) and the foot sensor (104), and configured to:
receive the sensed signals from the foot sensor (104);
determine a walk pattern of the user based on the received sensed signals;
match the determined walk pattern of the user with predefined set of walk patterns stored in a memory, wherein the predefined set of walk patterns comprises a set of safe walk patterns and a set of unsafe walk patterns;
generate a trigger signal when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns; and
deploy the airbags (112a-112n) based on the generation of the trigger signal.
2. The foot slip prevention system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (106) is further configured to generate a safe signal when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of safe walk patterns.
3. The foot slip prevention system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wearable unit (102) further comprises airbag inflators (114a-114m) to be controlled based on the generated trigger signal to deploy the airbags (112a-112n).
4. The foot slip prevention system (100) as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a driving unit (108) configured to generate a deployment signal in response to the trigger signal such the deployment signal controls the airbag inflators (114a-114m).
5. The foot slip prevention system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wearable unit (102) is a pressurized jacket.
6. The foot slip prevention system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (106) is further configured to generate an alert notification when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with the walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns.
7. A method for preventing a user from foot slip injury by a foot slip prevention system (100), wherein the method comprising steps of:
receiving sensed signals from a foot sensor (104) installed in a footwear of the user;
determining a walk pattern of the user based on the received sensed signals;
matching the determined walk pattern of the user with predefined set of walk patterns stored in a memory such that the predefined set of walk patterns comprises a set of safe walk patterns and a set of unsafe walk patterns;
generating a trigger signal when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns; and
deploying airbags (112a-112n) based on the generation of the trigger signal.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a step of generating a safe signal when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of safe walk patterns.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a step of generating a deployment signal in response to the trigger signal such the deployment signal controls airbag inflators (114a-114m) to deploy the airbags (112a-112n).
10. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a step of generating an alert notification when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with the walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns.
Date: 09 November, 2021
Place: Noida

Dr. Keerti Gupta
Agent for the Applicant
(IN/PA-1529)

, Description:FORM 2

THE PATENT ACT 1970
(39 of 1970)
&

THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10, and rule 13)

FOOT SLIP PREVENTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

APPLICANT(S)
NAME: SR University
NATIONALITY: INDIAN
ADDRESS: S R University Ananthasagar, Warangal, Telangana, India

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed

BACKGROUND
Field of Invention
[001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system and a method for injury prevention, and more particularly to a system and a method for preventing foot slip injuries.
Description of Related Art
[002] Most of elderly pedestrians are unable to walk in uneven streets smoothly, due to loss of physical, mental and/or sensory ability to walk as their age increases day by day. For such reasons, most of them are at high risk of brain injury or even death. Therefore, pedestrian safety for elderly people is a major concern now a days.
[003] Conventionally, various protection devices such as, helmets, armors, bulletproof vests have been targeted to protect a specific body part from injury. However, such protection devices are less concentric about complete protection. Moreover, wearing such protection devices all time is inconvenient for the elderly people.
[004] Thus, there is a need for a better technical solution that prevents the elderly pedestrians from foot slip injuries.
SUMMARY
[005] Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a foot slip prevention system comprising: a wearable unit adapted to be worn by a user. The wearable unit comprises: airbags to be deployed based on a requirement. The foot slip prevention system further comprising: a foot sensor coupled to the wearable unit, and configured to sense signals representing a pressure exerted by a foot of the user. The foot slip prevention system further comprising: a control unit coupled with the wearable unit and the foot sensor, and configured to receive the sensed signals from the foot sensor. Further, the control unit is configured to determine a walk pattern of the user based on the received sensed signals. Further, the control unit is configured to match the determined walk pattern of the user with predefined set of walk patterns stored in a memory. The predefined set of walk patterns may comprise a set of safe walk patterns and a set of unsafe walk patterns. The control unit is further configured to generate a trigger signal when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns. Further, the control unit is configured to deploy the airbags based on the generation of the trigger signal.
[006] Embodiments in accordance with the present invention further provide a method for preventing a user from foot slip injury by using a foot slip prevention system. The method comprising steps of: receiving sensed signals from a foot sensor installed in a footwear of the user; determining a walk pattern of the user based on the received sensed signals; matching the determined walk pattern of the user with predefined set of walk patterns stored in a memory such that the predefined set of walk patterns comprise a set of safe walk patterns and a set of unsafe walk patterns; generating a trigger signal when the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns; and deploying airbags based on the generation of the trigger signal.
[007] Embodiments of the present invention may provide a number of advantages depending on its particular configuration. First, embodiments of the present invention may provide a low-cost, lightweight and comfortable foot slip prevention system that provides safety to pedestrian users.
[008] Next, embodiments of the present invention may provide a foot slip prevention system that is provided with a pressurized jacket that assures comfort along with a safety of users.
[009] Next, embodiments of the present invention may provide a foot slip prevention system that does not require any strong mechanical actuator arrangements and, therefore, reduces a cost associated with an assembling a product.
[0010] Next, embodiments of the present invention may provide a foot slip prevention system that utilizes a compressed gas balloon principle to explode automatically when there is a mismatch in a walking pattern, thereby a protective action is initiated well in advance.
[0011] Next, embodiments of the present invention may provide a foot slip prevention system that acts as a warning device so that users can accommodate themselves by a nearby support if available, instead of falling.
[0012] These and other advantages will be apparent from the present application of the embodiments described herein.
[0013] The preceding is a simplified summary to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present invention. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the present invention and its various embodiments. The summary presents selected concepts of the embodiments of the present invention in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the present invention are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The above and still further features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a foot slip prevention system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting components of a control unit of the foot slip prevention system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of a method for preventing a user from foot slip injury by using the foot slip prevention system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0018] The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including but not limited to. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures. Optional portions of the figures may be illustrated using dashed or dotted lines, unless the context of usage indicates otherwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The following description includes the preferred best mode of one embodiment of the present invention. It will be clear from this description of the invention that the invention is not limited to these illustrated embodiments but that the invention also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be seen as illustrative and not limiting. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
[0020] In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms "comprising", "comprises”, and the like (which are synonymous with "including", "having”, and "characterized by") may be replaced by the respective partially closed phrases "consisting essentially of", “consists essentially of", and the like or the respective closed phrases "consisting of", "consists of”, the like.
[0021] As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” designate both the singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singular only.
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a foot slip prevention system 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the foot slip prevention system 100 may be an electro-human based smart foot slip prevention system. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the foot slip prevention system 100 may be a walking-style-based injury escort system for a user. The user may be, but not limited to, an elderly person, a person with walking disability, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the user using the foot slip prevention system 100. The foot slip prevention system 100 may include a wearable unit 102, a foot sensor 104, a control unit 106, and a driving unit 108. The wearable unit 102, the foot sensor 104, the control unit 106, and the driving unit 108 may be connected to each other through a communication network 110. The communication network 110 may facilitate a transmission and/or reception of data therebetween. In an embodiment of the present invention, the data may be transmitted or received through at least one communication channel of a plurality of communication channels in the communication network 110. The communication channels may be, but not limited to, a wireless channel, a wired channel, a combination of wireless and wired channel thereof. The wireless or wired channel may be associated with a data standard which may be defined by one of a Local Area Network (LAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), a Wireless Area Network (WAN), a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a satellite network, the Internet, a fiber optic network, a coaxial cable network, an infrared (IR) network, a Radio Frequency (RF) network, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the communication channel, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0023] The wearable unit 102 may be adapted to be worn by the user. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wearable unit 102 may be a pressure jacket. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the wearable unit 102, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies. Further, the wearable unit 102 may be made up of a material such as, but not limited to, leather, synthetic plastic, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the material for the wearable unit 102, including known, related art, and/or later developed materials. The wearable unit 102 may further comprise airbags 112a-112n (hereinafter collectively referred to as the airbags 112) that may be adapted to be deployed in response to a deployment signal received from the driving unit 108. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the airbags 112 may be compressed gas balloons. In an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention, the airbags 112 may be an eject able permanent cushion layer. In an embodiment of the present invention, the airbags 112 may be made up of a material such as, but not limited to, nylon, synthetic rubber, polyester, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the material for the airbags 112, including known, related art, and/or later developed materials.
[0024] Further, the wearable unit 102 may include airbag inflators 114a-114m (hereinafter collectively referred to as the airbag inflators 114) that may be controlled based on an output (e.g., the deployment signal) generated by the driving unit 108 to deploy the airbags 112. The airbag inflators 114 may be a small metal canister within the airbags 112 that may house explosive propellant (e.g., compressed air) and an initiator. In an embodiment of the present invention, the initiator may be a triggerable spring flange that may be suspended inside the wearable unit 102. The fully assembled airbags 112 may be self-contained units that may be deployed when an internal gas generator (i.e., the airbag inflators 114) receives the deployment signal from the driving unit 108.
[0025] The foot sensor 104 may be attached to a footwear of the user. In an embodiment of the present invention, the foot sensor 104 may be fixedly attached to the footwear of the user. In another embodiment of the present invention, the foot sensor 104 may be removably attached to the footwear of the user. The foot sensor 104 may be configured to sense signals representing a pressure exerted by a foot of the user when the user walks. Further, the foot sensor 104 may be configured to transmit the sensed signals to the control unit 106 over the communication network 110. The foot sensor 104 may be, but not limited to, a chemical vapor deposition pressure sensor, a sputtered thin film pressure sensor, a variable capacitance pressure sensor, a solid-state pressure sensor, a micromachined silicon (mms) sensor, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the foot sensor 104, including known, related art, and/or later developed foot sensors.
[0026] The control unit 106 may be coupled with the foot sensor 104 by means of the communication network 110. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 106 may be coupled to the foot sensor 104 through a single blended wire. The control unit 106 may include suitable logic, instructions, circuitry, interfaces, and/or codes for executing various operations, such as data processing, generating a trigger signal, and deploying the airbags 112. The control unit 106 may be configured to perform various operations associated with the foot slip prevention system 100 by communicating one or more commands and/or instructions over the communication network 110. The control unit 106 may be configured to execute the instructions to generate the trigger signal based on a processing of the sensed signals received from the foot sensor 104. In an embodiment of the present invention, the instructions may be an Artificial Intelligence based algorithm. Further, the control unit 106 may be configured to transmit the trigger signal to the driving unit 108 to deploy the airbags 112. The control unit 106 may be, but not limited to, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) processor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) processor, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), and the like. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the control unit 106 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies. The control unit 106 will be explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2.
[0027] The driving unit 108 may be coupled with the control unit 106 by means of the communication network 110. The driving unit 108 may include the suitable logic, the instructions, the circuitry, the interfaces, and/or the codes for executing various operations. For example, the driving unit 108 may be configured to receive the trigger signal from the control unit 106. Further, in response to the trigger signal, the driving unit 108 may be configured to generate the deployment signal that may enable the airbags 112 attached to the wearable unit 102 to be deployed to prevent injury.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting the control unit 106 of the foot slip prevention system 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The control unit 106 may be configured to perform the various operations associated with the foot slip prevention system 100 by means of a data collection module 200, a data processing module 202, a deployment module 204, and an alert notification module 206.
[0029] The data collection module 200 may be configured to receive the sensed signals representing the pressure exerted by the foot of the user from the foot sensor 104. Further, the data collection module 200 may be configured to transmit the received sensed signals to the data processing module 202.
[0030] The data processing module 202 may be configured to receive the sensed signals from the data collection module 200. Further, the data processing module 202 may be configured to determine a walk pattern of the user based on the received sensed signals.
[0031] Further, the data processing module 202 may be configured to match the determined walk pattern of the user with predefined set of walk patterns stored in a memory (not shown). The predefined set of walk patterns may comprise a set of safe walk patterns and a set of unsafe walk patterns. In an embodiment of the present invention, if the data processing module 202 determines that the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of safe walk patterns, then the data processing module 202 may be configured to generate a safe signal. Further, the data processing module 202 may be configured to transmit the generated safe signal to the data collection module 200. The safe signal may enable the data collection module 200 to continue receiving the sensed signals from the foot sensor 104. In another embodiment of the present invention, if the data processing module 202 determines that the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with a walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns, then the data processing module 202 may be configured to generate a trigger signal and an alert signal. Further, the data processing module 202 may be configured to transmit the generated trigger signal to the deployment module 204. The data processing module 202 may further be configured to transmit the generated alert signal to the alert notification module 206.
[0032] The deployment module 204 may be configured to receive the trigger signal from the data processing module 202. Further, the deployment module 204 may be configured to transmit the trigger signal to the driving unit 108 that may control the deployment of the airbags 112 associated with the wearable unit 102 as discussed in conjunction with the FIG. 1. The alert notification module 206 may be configured to receive the alert signal from the data processing module 202. The alert notification module 206 may be configured to generate an alert notification for the user based on the received alert signal. The alert notification module 206 may be configured to transmit the generated alert notification on a user device (not shown) so that the user can accommodate himself/herself by nearby support if available, instead of falling.
[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of a method 300 for preventing the user from the foot slip injury by the foot slip prevention system 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0034] At step 302, the foot slip prevention system 100 may receive the sensed signals from the foot sensor 104 installed in the footwear of the user.
[0035] At step 304, the foot slip prevention system 100 may determine the walk pattern of the user based on the received sensed signals.
[0036] At step 306, the foot slip prevention system 100 may match the determined walk pattern of the user with the predefined set of walk patterns stored in the memory, wherein the predefined set of walk patterns may comprise the set of safe walk patterns and the set of unsafe walk patterns.
[0037] At step 308, if the foot slip prevention system 100 determines that the determined walk pattern of the user is matched with the walk pattern associated with the set of unsafe walk patterns, then the method 300 may proceed to a step 310, otherwise the method 300 may return to the step 302.
[0038] At the step 310, the foot slip prevention system 100 may generate the trigger signal.
[0039] At step 312, the foot slip prevention system 100 may deploy the airbags 112 based on the generation of the trigger signal.
[0040] Embodiments of the invention are described above with reference to block diagrams and schematic illustrations of methods and apparatuses according to embodiments of the invention. While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and various embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
[0041] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope the invention is defined in the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements within substantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.