CA2003269A1 - System to sense and determine the pressure exerted on a footboard of an apparatus for footprints measurements - Google Patents
System to sense and determine the pressure exerted on a footboard of an apparatus for footprints measurementsInfo
- Publication number
- CA2003269A1 CA2003269A1 CA 2003269 CA2003269A CA2003269A1 CA 2003269 A1 CA2003269 A1 CA 2003269A1 CA 2003269 CA2003269 CA 2003269 CA 2003269 A CA2003269 A CA 2003269A CA 2003269 A1 CA2003269 A1 CA 2003269A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sensors
- footboard
- layer
- pressure exerted
- rivet
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Landscapes
- Force Measurement Appropriate To Specific Purposes (AREA)
- Measuring Fluid Pressure (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A system is described herein for sensing and determining the pressure exerted on the footboard of a podiatric apparatus by the feet of a person, so as to measure the footprints thereof. The system utilizes a plurality of sensors distributed uniformly on the footboard and beneath a layer of flexible material, such as rubber. The sensors are connected to a Multiplexer device, to an analog/digital converter, to a programmed calculator which translates the pressure data into visible and/or readable values.
The sensors may also ho subdivided into a plurality of strips in order to accelerate and shorten the process involved.
A system is described herein for sensing and determining the pressure exerted on the footboard of a podiatric apparatus by the feet of a person, so as to measure the footprints thereof. The system utilizes a plurality of sensors distributed uniformly on the footboard and beneath a layer of flexible material, such as rubber. The sensors are connected to a Multiplexer device, to an analog/digital converter, to a programmed calculator which translates the pressure data into visible and/or readable values.
The sensors may also ho subdivided into a plurality of strips in order to accelerate and shorten the process involved.
Description
2~3~6~
S P E C I ~ I C A 1' 1 0 N
T lTLE:
A SYST~M TO 5E;~SE AND DETER~lINE THÆ PRFSSURE J~XERTEi~ ON A
F(:)OTBOAR[) OF Al~ ~PPARP~ S FOR E`OO~PRINTS MEASUREMENTSo FIELD OF TH?. INV13NTIO~
The present inven~ion r~latss, .in general, to apparatus ~or sensing ~nd deterrnining footpLints and, more particu].arly, it relRtes t~ a foot~o~rd ~o~ ~uch appar~tus, ~he footboard incorporatin~ means ~or t~e instantaneous d~tsrmination of pressure exerte~ by the feet o~ ~ p~rson upon Ste~Qirlg on ths footboard for the definiton and mi~asucc-mPnt o~ the foot~rints, bo~h under dynamic and s~atic cond.itions.
BRX~F PES~RIPTION O~ THE INVE.~TION:
It is belie~ed this to be the ~irsi time that such a systern o~
determin~tion o~ podiatric pressur~ m~surement has been employed ~nd adopted in meas~ring ~oo~prints and it~is, consequently, the main scope of this invention to provide a footbo~Fd ~or podi~tric apparatus employed in th~ deterrnination of ~ootor.ints, ths footboard incorporat~ng ~ sy;tem o~ c~-~acitive s~nsors actuated upon by the hurnan body, spacific~l~y the ~aet, through a flexible r elas~ic, electric~lly insul~ting ~lement, such ~s ru~b~r, ~nd controlled by pro~ramm~ble calo~l~ting means.
I~ is, ~he~efo,;e, possible to obtain the ~ial advantRge of utili~ing ~ foot-supporting mat~rial which is diel~ctric in na~ture and of siTnplifying the d~si~n of the footbo~rd, wtiilQ
assi~ing at the same time the ef~iciancy of the board and the n~Rximi~ation of precision of podiatric pressure determinati~ns, both under dynRmic and static conditions.
. ~
The present inventlon l~el~t;es, tnerefore, to a novel system for the ~eter~ination of the press~re exerted upon the ootboard, i~ ~rrnr~l?n~o with the recita-l;ion ln tne accompanying ~laim 1 THE DR~WINGS:
Greater details of the pres~nt invention will become more evident from the I`ollwing description the~aof in conjunction w~th the accompanying dr~wings, in which:
Figure l is a sche~tic illustration o~ ~he system utilized in one o~ the Sensocs employed in the invention;
~ i~u~e 2 is a block i~lust~a~ion of the system of sensing and determining the pre~sur~;
Fi~ur~ 3 illu~trates the connec~ion of a few of the sensors to a matrix scanning unit;
Figure 4 is a perspective vi~ Q~ the as3em~lo~ footboard with a section o~ 5ensors and ~heir position visible ther~ini Figure S is an enlarye~d vie~ o~ the distribution of a nu~ber of sensors on the footboard; an~
~ igure G is another enlargsd, sectional vie~ oE t.he ~ootboard with its re~pec~iYe sensoes.
DETAI~ED ~ES~RIP~ION OF 'rHE INV~I~T~O~l:
~ he system oE the present lnvention substantially utili~e~ a matrix of sensors ll mountsd on a .ootboard l~ o~ large dimnnsions, onto which it is ,oossi~le to ste~, in order to effec~
the m.~sure~nent of footprints through the sensing and determination o~ the instantaneous pressu~ P exerted by the feet o~ ~ person on the footboard itsel~ o~, more pre~isely, on the s~nsors ll.
The s~nsors ll ~re mounted on a rigid, supporting platform 13 and are d~spo$ed in ~n orderly manner (se~ figur~s 4 and 6) bencath a 1.e~ible layor 14, such as, ~or e~ample, of rubber, or . , ' '' ", ' ,' ~
,',.
., : : , ' :
~3~
alt~rna~ively, ~nveloped within or applied to a layer of elastic, dielectric material or other supporting el~ment 1~'.
~ ach sensor 11 comprises a metallic rivst 15, serving as an electro-cond~ctor, fixsd to the rigid supportin~ platform 1~ o~
the ~ootboard 12 and having one sur~ace thereof contacting ths o~erlying ~lexibl~, elastic l~yer 14. Conn~cted to tha rivet l5 there are a ~esisto~ 16 ~nd a ~iodQ 17 inserted ~ithin an appro~riate circuitry 19, ~s illustrat~d in figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Each sensor, in ~ssence, functions by exploiting ths c~pacitive ef~ect created by the combination rubber~rivet-human body. Such Gom~ination may be visuali~ed as and compare~ to a capacitor with the plates formed, respectively, by the rivet and the human foot. The rubber l~ye~ interposed bet~ecn the rivet and the foot serves to obtain - eventually ~lso thro~lgh the ~6istancs of an elect~o-conductive lay~r - ~he v~riation in the distance ~tw~en the ~wo plate~ (rivet-foot), variation that , depends of ~ourse on the amount or d~gree of prsssure appli~d by the ~oot. ~hus, ~hen a person stands upon the footbo~rd, the ru~ber is compressed in rnanner directly p~oportional to the pressur~ exerted thereu~o~ by the,feet. Since the c~pacity of a condens~ va~ies in mannor proportional to the distance bet~een it3 plates, the~system of the in~ention, com~arably t~ereto, wiIl have ~xactly the same effects as 3 variable cap~cit~nceO
In ~igure 1 o the ~com~anyin~ dra~ings, there is illustratQd - schematically - the idea o th~ sensor of the invention, ~he~ein thRre are sho~n - ~s in figure 6 - and indicated with 15, 16, 17 and P, re~pectively, the rivet, the resistor and the diode and the pressure a~plicd on the rive~. If a signal o~ a given re~uency i5 applied to point ~ of the system and a p~essure P is 2~6~3;~6~
appli~d t~ ~he rivet 15, the sensing circuit practicslly ~unctiorts as a volt~ge T;ectifier, because at point 8 o~ tlle ~ystem there is obtaine~, t~rou~h diode 17, ~ rec~ified volt~g~, the amount of which is proportional to the di~tance bet~een the foot and the rivet an~, there~oce, to ~he pressure exerted by the Poot, throu~h the layer 14, on the rivet 15.
~ he foot~oard is, ~hus pro~ided wi~h a plurality o~ sen~ors 11 of this type. Th~ir nurnber ~ay be, ~or example, as larg~ as 4~8, so as to allow th~ determination of pr~ssure at eve~y point o~
~he footboard sur~ace. All s~nso~s ace connected - see figur~s 2 and 3 - to at least one matrix scanner unit, such as ~
Multl~lexer, 19, which in turn is conne~ed; through an adequate number of analog~digital ~onverters 2~, to g calculator ~1 so programmed th~t it rea~s the instantaneously ds~ermined pressure v~lu s, c~rries Gut the necessary calculations and displsys on a monitor and~or a ~rinter all ~ata ~slating to the foot~rints to be meaaured.
It is to ~ observed ~150 that th~ mstrix scanner of the ssnsors ~y b~ subdivided into strips - a suitable n~mbe~ could bs 5even - each strip composed, in this instance, of 704 set-sors.
With t~is arrangeTnent, it is possibls to rea~, with eac~
ac~uisition of da~s, concurrently the sensoTs of each strip, thus reduci~g to one seven~h the ov.?rall ti.me required for a total s~nnin~ o the sensocs.
S P E C I ~ I C A 1' 1 0 N
T lTLE:
A SYST~M TO 5E;~SE AND DETER~lINE THÆ PRFSSURE J~XERTEi~ ON A
F(:)OTBOAR[) OF Al~ ~PPARP~ S FOR E`OO~PRINTS MEASUREMENTSo FIELD OF TH?. INV13NTIO~
The present inven~ion r~latss, .in general, to apparatus ~or sensing ~nd deterrnining footpLints and, more particu].arly, it relRtes t~ a foot~o~rd ~o~ ~uch appar~tus, ~he footboard incorporatin~ means ~or t~e instantaneous d~tsrmination of pressure exerte~ by the feet o~ ~ p~rson upon Ste~Qirlg on ths footboard for the definiton and mi~asucc-mPnt o~ the foot~rints, bo~h under dynamic and s~atic cond.itions.
BRX~F PES~RIPTION O~ THE INVE.~TION:
It is belie~ed this to be the ~irsi time that such a systern o~
determin~tion o~ podiatric pressur~ m~surement has been employed ~nd adopted in meas~ring ~oo~prints and it~is, consequently, the main scope of this invention to provide a footbo~Fd ~or podi~tric apparatus employed in th~ deterrnination of ~ootor.ints, ths footboard incorporat~ng ~ sy;tem o~ c~-~acitive s~nsors actuated upon by the hurnan body, spacific~l~y the ~aet, through a flexible r elas~ic, electric~lly insul~ting ~lement, such ~s ru~b~r, ~nd controlled by pro~ramm~ble calo~l~ting means.
I~ is, ~he~efo,;e, possible to obtain the ~ial advantRge of utili~ing ~ foot-supporting mat~rial which is diel~ctric in na~ture and of siTnplifying the d~si~n of the footbo~rd, wtiilQ
assi~ing at the same time the ef~iciancy of the board and the n~Rximi~ation of precision of podiatric pressure determinati~ns, both under dynRmic and static conditions.
. ~
The present inventlon l~el~t;es, tnerefore, to a novel system for the ~eter~ination of the press~re exerted upon the ootboard, i~ ~rrnr~l?n~o with the recita-l;ion ln tne accompanying ~laim 1 THE DR~WINGS:
Greater details of the pres~nt invention will become more evident from the I`ollwing description the~aof in conjunction w~th the accompanying dr~wings, in which:
Figure l is a sche~tic illustration o~ ~he system utilized in one o~ the Sensocs employed in the invention;
~ i~u~e 2 is a block i~lust~a~ion of the system of sensing and determining the pre~sur~;
Fi~ur~ 3 illu~trates the connec~ion of a few of the sensors to a matrix scanning unit;
Figure 4 is a perspective vi~ Q~ the as3em~lo~ footboard with a section o~ 5ensors and ~heir position visible ther~ini Figure S is an enlarye~d vie~ o~ the distribution of a nu~ber of sensors on the footboard; an~
~ igure G is another enlargsd, sectional vie~ oE t.he ~ootboard with its re~pec~iYe sensoes.
DETAI~ED ~ES~RIP~ION OF 'rHE INV~I~T~O~l:
~ he system oE the present lnvention substantially utili~e~ a matrix of sensors ll mountsd on a .ootboard l~ o~ large dimnnsions, onto which it is ,oossi~le to ste~, in order to effec~
the m.~sure~nent of footprints through the sensing and determination o~ the instantaneous pressu~ P exerted by the feet o~ ~ person on the footboard itsel~ o~, more pre~isely, on the s~nsors ll.
The s~nsors ll ~re mounted on a rigid, supporting platform 13 and are d~spo$ed in ~n orderly manner (se~ figur~s 4 and 6) bencath a 1.e~ible layor 14, such as, ~or e~ample, of rubber, or . , ' '' ", ' ,' ~
,',.
., : : , ' :
~3~
alt~rna~ively, ~nveloped within or applied to a layer of elastic, dielectric material or other supporting el~ment 1~'.
~ ach sensor 11 comprises a metallic rivst 15, serving as an electro-cond~ctor, fixsd to the rigid supportin~ platform 1~ o~
the ~ootboard 12 and having one sur~ace thereof contacting ths o~erlying ~lexibl~, elastic l~yer 14. Conn~cted to tha rivet l5 there are a ~esisto~ 16 ~nd a ~iodQ 17 inserted ~ithin an appro~riate circuitry 19, ~s illustrat~d in figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Each sensor, in ~ssence, functions by exploiting ths c~pacitive ef~ect created by the combination rubber~rivet-human body. Such Gom~ination may be visuali~ed as and compare~ to a capacitor with the plates formed, respectively, by the rivet and the human foot. The rubber l~ye~ interposed bet~ecn the rivet and the foot serves to obtain - eventually ~lso thro~lgh the ~6istancs of an elect~o-conductive lay~r - ~he v~riation in the distance ~tw~en the ~wo plate~ (rivet-foot), variation that , depends of ~ourse on the amount or d~gree of prsssure appli~d by the ~oot. ~hus, ~hen a person stands upon the footbo~rd, the ru~ber is compressed in rnanner directly p~oportional to the pressur~ exerted thereu~o~ by the,feet. Since the c~pacity of a condens~ va~ies in mannor proportional to the distance bet~een it3 plates, the~system of the in~ention, com~arably t~ereto, wiIl have ~xactly the same effects as 3 variable cap~cit~nceO
In ~igure 1 o the ~com~anyin~ dra~ings, there is illustratQd - schematically - the idea o th~ sensor of the invention, ~he~ein thRre are sho~n - ~s in figure 6 - and indicated with 15, 16, 17 and P, re~pectively, the rivet, the resistor and the diode and the pressure a~plicd on the rive~. If a signal o~ a given re~uency i5 applied to point ~ of the system and a p~essure P is 2~6~3;~6~
appli~d t~ ~he rivet 15, the sensing circuit practicslly ~unctiorts as a volt~ge T;ectifier, because at point 8 o~ tlle ~ystem there is obtaine~, t~rou~h diode 17, ~ rec~ified volt~g~, the amount of which is proportional to the di~tance bet~een the foot and the rivet an~, there~oce, to ~he pressure exerted by the Poot, throu~h the layer 14, on the rivet 15.
~ he foot~oard is, ~hus pro~ided wi~h a plurality o~ sen~ors 11 of this type. Th~ir nurnber ~ay be, ~or example, as larg~ as 4~8, so as to allow th~ determination of pr~ssure at eve~y point o~
~he footboard sur~ace. All s~nso~s ace connected - see figur~s 2 and 3 - to at least one matrix scanner unit, such as ~
Multl~lexer, 19, which in turn is conne~ed; through an adequate number of analog~digital ~onverters 2~, to g calculator ~1 so programmed th~t it rea~s the instantaneously ds~ermined pressure v~lu s, c~rries Gut the necessary calculations and displsys on a monitor and~or a ~rinter all ~ata ~slating to the foot~rints to be meaaured.
It is to ~ observed ~150 that th~ mstrix scanner of the ssnsors ~y b~ subdivided into strips - a suitable n~mbe~ could bs 5even - each strip composed, in this instance, of 704 set-sors.
With t~is arrangeTnent, it is possibls to rea~, with eac~
ac~uisition of da~s, concurrently the sensoTs of each strip, thus reduci~g to one seven~h the ov.?rall ti.me required for a total s~nnin~ o the sensocs.
Claims (4)
1. System for sensing and determining the pressure exerted on the footboard of a podiatric apparatus for the measuring of footprints, which comprises: a plurality of capacitive sensors uniformly distributed upon the footboard; a layer of elastic and flexible material overlying said sensors for the transfer of pressure from the feet of a person to said sensors; at least one matrix scanner unit connected to said sensors; an analog/digital converter connected to said sensors; and a programmed calculator connected to said converter for the translation of pressure data into visible and/or readable values.
2. The system according to Claim 1, wherein said censors are fixedly connected to a rigid supporting platform and have one electrically conductive surface thereof contacting said overlying layer, on which layer rest, directly or through an interposed second layer of electrically conductive material, said feet of a person for the measurement of the footprints by means of the determination of the instantaneous pressure exerted on said sensors.
3. The system according to Claims 1 or 2, wherein said sensors are subdivided into a plurality of strips, each strip having a plurality of sensors connected to a matrix scanner unit and, through at least one analog/digital converter, to a programmed calculator for the translation of pressure data into visible and/or readable values.
4. The system according to Claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein each sensor comprises an electrically conductive rivet, attached to said rigid supporting platform and having one surface thereof contacting the overlying layer of elastic and flexible material, said rivet being connected to a resistor and to a diode, one terminal of said resistor receiving a signal of a predetermined frequency, one terminal of said diode issuing a rectified voltage of value proportional to the pressure exerted on said rivet by the feet resting on said footboard.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT8905125A IT1233392B (en) | 1989-03-03 | 1989-03-03 | Pressure exerted on footboard footprints measurements |
| IT5125-A/89 | 1989-03-03 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2003269A1 true CA2003269A1 (en) | 1990-09-03 |
Family
ID=11117983
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2003269 Abandoned CA2003269A1 (en) | 1989-03-03 | 1989-11-17 | System to sense and determine the pressure exerted on a footboard of an apparatus for footprints measurements |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2003269A1 (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1233392B (en) |
-
1989
- 1989-03-03 IT IT8905125A patent/IT1233392B/en active
- 1989-11-17 CA CA 2003269 patent/CA2003269A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| IT1233392B (en) | 1992-03-27 |
| IT8905125A0 (en) | 1989-03-03 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |