Walking shoe

摘要

A walking shoe that senses a fall and urges a user of the shoe to perform movement for fall prevention. When the walker stumbles or almost falls, a microprocessor is activated, based on a sensing signal of a pressure-sensitive sensor that senses a pressure applied to a tread to detect a lifting velocity and/or a lifting amount of the foot based on a detection signal of an acceleration sensor, and when the lifting velocity and/or the lifting amount is lower than a reference value, the microprocessor actuates a stimulator that stimulates a bottom of the foot. At this time, since the user reflexively lifts the foot, the user can avoid stumbling.

主权项

1. A walking shoe comprising:
a shoe body configured to receive a foot; a stimulator mounted on the shoe body in a position to stimulate a bottom of the foot; an acceleration sensor mounted on the shoe body and configured to detect a first acceleration in a direction parallel to ground and a second acceleration in a direction perpendicular to the ground and generate an acceleration detection signal as a function thereof; a range sensor mounted on the shoe body and configured to detect a distance between the shoe body and an obstacle and generate a range detection signal as a function thereof; and a microprocessor mounted on the shoe body and configured to:
predict the trajectory of the user's foot as a function of the acceleration detection signal;turn on the range sensor when the microprocessor determines that a trajectory of the user's foot indicates that the user is trying to lift his or her foot over an obstacle by comparing the trajectory to stored information indicative of a typical trajectory of the user's foot when he or she is walking; andactuate the stimulator when the microprocessor determines that the user's foot is likely to hit the obstacle as a function of both the acceleration detection signal and the range detection signal, the microprocessor determining that the user's foot is likely to hit the obstacle when, a distance that the trajectory predicted that foot would be from the obstacle is less than an actual distance the foot is from the obstacle as indicated by the range detection signal.