EP0408695A1

EP0408695A1 - Portable warning device for correcting posture

Info

Publication number: EP0408695A1
Application number: EP19900900744
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gilbert Chesaux
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-12-23
Filing date: 1989-12-22
Publication date: 1991-01-23
Also published as: CA2006583A1; FR2640872A1; WO1990007360A1

Abstract

L'invention concerne un dispositif correcteur d'attitude, destiné à être porté par un utilisateur et à avertir celui-ci discrètement s'il prend une mauvaise posture, telle qu'un ventre relâché ou un dos voûté. Un élément de base du dispositif est un appareil (1) ayant un boîtier plat (2) ayant une face avant (3) destinée à être appuyée contre le corps. La face opposée du boîtier est munie d'un clip (5) pour être accroché par exemple au bord supérieur d'un pantalon ou d'une jupe. Une partie de la face avant du boîtier est découpée pour former une plaque de commande (11) dont la flexibilité est réglable par déplacement d'un point d'appui de la plaque sur un levier (17). Quand cette plaque est pressée au-delà d'un seuil déterminé, elle enclenche dans le boîtier un générateur de vibrations constituant un avertisseur tactile. Le boîtier est muni de prises pour la connexion d'un contact auxiliaire, à placer sur une autre partie du corps, et d'un générateur complémentaire de vibrations.The invention relates to an attitude correcting device, intended to be worn by a user and to discreetly warn him if he takes a bad posture, such as a relaxed stomach or a hunched back. A basic element of the device is an apparatus (1) having a flat housing (2) having a front face (3) intended to be pressed against the body. The opposite face of the housing is provided with a clip (5) to be hung, for example, on the upper edge of pants or a skirt. A part of the front face of the housing is cut to form a control plate (11) whose flexibility is adjustable by displacement of a support point of the plate on a lever (17). When this plate is pressed beyond a determined threshold, it activates in the housing a vibration generator constituting a tactile warning. The housing is provided with sockets for the connection of an auxiliary contact, to be placed on another part of the body, and a complementary vibration generator.

Description

PORTABLE WARNING DEVICE FOR CORRECTING THE ATTITUDE OF THE BODY

The present invention relates to a warning device for correcting the attitude of the body of a user, comprising a flattened case, provided with means for fixing to the body or to a piece of clothing, this case comprising a source of electrical energy. , an electric alarm, a switching device controlling said alarm, and a control plate provided with elastic return means and arranged to actuate the switching device under the effect of an external force which exceeds a determined threshold and which presses the control plate or the housing against a part of the body.

US Patent No. 3,582,935 describes a warning device of this kind, comprising a belt provided with a housing on its outer face and, on its inner face, a control plate connected to the housing by a leaf spring. This box also contains an audible warning device powered by a battery and controlled by an electric circuit which closes with a contact when the plate approaches the box, which occurs in particular when the tension increases in the belt under the effect of '' a relaxation of the abdominal muscles of the wearer of this belt. Thus, the buzzer "calls to order" the user until he returns his belly, which allows the plate to move away from the housing again so as to interrupt the audible signal. The user thus acquires a reflex resulting in permanent work of the abdominal muscles, the tone of which gradually improves until the wearing of the device is no longer necessary. Patent publications FR-A-2 329 252, FR-A-2 539 983 and US-A-3 670 320 describe devices of the same kind, but in which the housing is mounted between the two ends of a belt and has a spring mechanism that reacts to variations in the length of the belt.

However, these known devices have in practice several drawbacks. They necessarily include a special belt, constituting an annoying element to wear on or under clothing. You cannot wear such a device anywhere other than your waist. Also, the belt cannot be matched with just any clothes. On the other hand, the horn is very annoying for the user in public, since people close to him also perceive the sound signal. This is why, in practice, the device is only used from time to time and in private, therefore not in a sufficiently constant manner for effective rehabilitation. In addition, the control plate device according to US-A-3,582,935 does not allow sensitivity adjustment.

To avoid the inconvenience of the sound signal, FR-A-2 591 472 plans to replace it by an interruption of the normal operation of another device carried by the user, for example a portable music player or a radio receiver that the user hears through headphones. However, such equipment is quite bulky and, in many common activities, it is not possible to use it. In addition, the disadvantages due to the special belt remain. FR-A- 2 215 931 provides, in a housing mounted between the two ends of a belt and provided with a spring mechanism, an alarm formed by the spring itself, the camber of which changes direction suddenly and creates a shock felt by the user when the belt tension exceeds a certain threshold. Apart from the inherent drawbacks of the belt, it should be noted that such an alarm is only felt by a single shock when the tension exceeds the set threshold, then no longer at all if the stomach remains relaxed. On the other hand, when the user resumes a correct attitude, the spring also gives a shock by resuming its initial shape, which is a superfluous and rather annoying signal.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art, by providing a discreet and versatile device, offering enlarged possibilities of use and not requiring a special belt. A particular aim is to arrange the device so that it can be used to correct the attitude of different parts of the body. For this purpose, the invention provides a device of the type indicated in the preamble, characterized in that the horn is a tactile horn, in that the control plate is integral with the housing and forms at least part of a front face. of the housing, the elastic return means being constituted by the plate and / or a part of the housing, and in that it comprises adjustment means formed by at least one stop member with adjustable position, interposed between the control plate and an opposite part of the housing.

Preferably, the control plate is made in one piece with the housing, in which it is defined by a slot which partially surrounds it.

The control plate may have a lateral flange extending towards the inside of the housing and having a stop surface, facing an adjustment member mounted in the housing so that it can be moved between several different positions in which different points of said surface abut against it when the control plate is pressed from the outside. Said adjusting member can be provided with a control button outside the housing.

Preferably, the control plate has an area equal to or greater than half the area of the front face of the housing.

The tactile horn can advantageously be formed by a vibration generator comprising a rotor having an unbalance.

In a preferred embodiment, the housing is provided with a fixing member arranged to detachably hang the housing from a piece of clothing. Said fixing member may be a clip formed by an elastic blade extending along the face opposite to the front face of the housing.

The housing can be provided with a socket for the electrical connection of an additional sensor placed at a distance from the housing, this sensor being provided with a switching member connected in parallel with - -

the switching member contained in the housing. In addition, the housing can be provided with a socket for the electrical connection of an additional tactile alarm placed at a distance from the housing, this alarm being connected in parallel with the alarm contained in the housing.

Will be described below, by way of non-limiting example, a form of ^'embodiment of a device according to the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 represents in perspective an apparatus provided with a device according to the invention and shows in particular the shape of the housing of the apparatus,

fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1,

fig. 3 is a schematic view of the elements contained in the housing of the apparatus of FIG. 1,

fig. and 5 represent complementary elements adaptable to the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3,

fig. 6 to 8 are schematic sectional views along line VI-VI of FIG. 3 and illustrate the operation of the apparatus,

fig. 9 is an electrical diagram of the apparatus and of the elements illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, and

fig. 1 0 shows a way of carrying the device in order to re-educate the abdominal muscles of the user.

Figs. 1 to 3 and 6 to 8 show a rehabilitation device 1 provided with a flattened housing 2 having a smooth front face 3 and a rear face equipped with a clip 5 making it possible to fix the device 1 removably to a support, including a piece of clothing. For example, fig. 10 shows how a user 6 can carry the device 1 against his belly in an invisible manner by hooking the clip 5 on the upper edge of his pants 7, the box 2 being placed between the pants and the wearer's belly, and by fastening his belt 8 on the clip 5 so as to hide it while keeping the front of the device pressed against the belly. The housing 2 is preferably made of molded synthetic material and it is in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded angles. For example, this case can have the following approximate dimensions: height 30 to 60 mm, width 25 to 50 mm, depth 6 to 15 mm, that is to say, it can be easily hidden by clothing or even by a common type belt.

The front face 3 of the housing 2 is pierced with a slot 0 having an inverted U-shaped outline, so as to delimit a control plate 1 1 which, in this case, extends approximately over the upper half of the side 3 of the housing. The two parallel edges 12 of the housing, which are located along the two opposite sides of the plate 1 1, are slightly inclined towards the rear, so that the plate 1 1 is normally projecting from them. As it is attached to the rest of the housing 2 only between the two ends 1 3 of the slot 10, the plate 1 1 is maintained by its elasticity and, when an external thrust is exerted on the front face 3 of the housing, this plate, thanks to this elasticity, can deform by sinking into the thickness of the housing. At rest, the plate 1 1 is preferably aligned with the rest of the front face 3.

A side face 14 of the housing 2 has a longitudinal slot 15 from which emerges one end 16 of an adjustment lever 17, this end being profiled to serve as a control button. Inside the housing, as shown in fig. 3, the other end of the lever 17 is pivotally mounted on a stud 18 secured to the bottom wall 20 of the housing, against which the lever 17 extends. Seven small bulges 21 are formed on the wall 20 and cooperate with a corresponding hole 22 of the lever 17 to form notches defining seven positions of the lever 17, from the lower position shown in solid lines to the upper position 17 'drawn in broken lines in FIG. 3. These positions correspond to a progressive adjustment of the resistance to deformation of the control plate 11. In fact, the latter has, on the side of the end 16 of the lever 17, a rigid rim 23 having a profiled edge 24 which abuts against the lever 17 when the plate 11 is inserted into the housing, except when this lever is in the lower position. Edge 24 can be given the appropriate longitudinal profile, straight or curved, so that it abuts against the lever for predetermined depressions in the plate 11, gradually smaller when the lever 17 is placed higher. These adjustment means can be replaced or supplemented by other stop systems interposed between the housing and the control plate 11. For example, a mobile shim can be provided which can be brought on a protuberance of the wall 20 of the housing to support the central zone of the plate 11 in order to limit the deformations of the plate for a given bearing force.

Fig. 6 shows in section the position of the control plate 11 at rest. In this case, the edge 24 does not touch the lever 17, whatever the notch on which this lever is placed. Fig. 7 shows how the plate 1 1 sinks into the housing when the lever 17 is placed in its lowest position, shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 and in which the edge 24 cannot rest on the lever 17. The plate 11 can thus sink into the housing 1 simply by bending, without twisting. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 8, the lever 17 is in its upper position 17 ′ and it retains the edge 24 already after a slight movement of the plate. As the edge 24 is along one side of the plate 11, this plate can still deform elastically by warping if the pressure becomes stronger, by sinking into the housing near its other edge and in particular in the area of its opposite upper corner 25. The higher the lever 17, the more the depression of the control plate 11 is reduced for a determined thrust. Thus, the adjustment of the sensitivity of the control plate 11a with respect to an external thrust is obtained simply by moving the lever 17, forming a movable fulcrum along the edge 24 of the plate and thus modifying the elastic reactions of the plate in bending and torsion. In the vicinity of its angle 25, the control plate 1 1 has on its inner face a lug 26 located opposite an electrical switch 27, which is fixed to the wall 20 of the housing and arranged to close an electrical circuit when the lug 26 is pressed against him by sufficient depression of the plate 1 1 in this area.

As shown in fig. 3, the housing 2 contains a vibration generator 28 powered by an electric battery 29 and controlled by the switch 27. The housing is provided with a door 30 giving access to the battery. The vibration generator 28 is silent and it is fixed to the housing 2 in order to serve as a tactile alarm, via the face 3 of the housing, held in abutment against the body, either directly or through a garment. These vibrations are transmitted to the skin over the entire face 3, since the plate 11 is integral with the housing and vibrates with it. The generator 28 can be an electromagnet vibrator, but its preferred form is that of a miniature direct current electric motor, for example of, 5 V, the shaft of which carries an eccentric element constituting an unbalance. This type of vibration generator allows a certain variation in its frequency, adapting to a resonant frequency of a part or of the whole of the device 1. The box 2 also comprises an input socket 31 and an outlet 32 which are both of the bipolar coaxial type and which are intended for the connection of complementary devices such as those of FIGS. 4 and 5.

Fig. 4 symbolically represents a complementary sensor 41 which includes a switch * for example similar to the switch 27, and which can fulfill a similar function for controlling the vibration generator 28 of the device 1. The device 41 is connected to the device 1 by an electric cord 42 provided with a bipolar plug 43 of the "jac" type which can be fitted into the socket 31 of the device 1. FIG. 5 shows a complementary vibration generator 44, equipped with a cord 45 and a bipolar plug 46 which can be plugged into the socket 32 of the device 1 so that the generator 44 is controlled by the switch 27 or by the sensor 41.

The electrical diagram in fig. 9 shows that each of the sockets 31, 32 comprises, in addition to the two pole contacts 31a, 32a and 31b, 32b, a switch 31c, 32c that the corresponding plug 43, 46 opens when it is pressed in the socket 31, 32. The switch 3c is mounted in series with the switch 27, while the switch 32c is mounted in series with the vibration generator 28. Thus, when the plugs 43 and 46 are not connected to the device 1, the generator 28 operates only when the control plate 11 closes the switch 27.

When the additional sensor 41 is connected to the socket 31 of the device 1, it is connected in parallel to the switch 27, but the latter is switched off by opening the switch 31c. Thus, the operation of the vibration generator 28 will be controlled only by the sensor 41. This can be placed on another part of the body, for example be combined with two flanges surrounding the shoulders and attached to each other in the dorsal area, so as to warn the user by means of vibrations if the upper back has a hunched position. This sensor can be even thinner than the device 1, so as not to be annoying when the user leans against a backrest.

When the complementary vibration generator 44 is connected to the socket 32, it operates in place of the generator 28 which is put out of service by opening the switch 32c. The user can place the generator 44 at the place which is suitable and this generator can be controlled, as the case may be, either by the switch 27 or by the sensor 41. In the latter case, it can be placed on the same part of the body than the sensor 41, the advantage of this arrangement being simply to conserve the electrical supply by the battery 29 of the device 1, representing a weight and a volume which are not bothersome at the level of the belt but which could be on another part of the body.

The above description shows that the device according to the invention can be in the form of a very small device, imperceptible to people close to the user. Thanks to the clip 5, the device 1 can be hung, at the waist, as well on an undergarment as on an ordinary belt or on the upper edge of a skirt or pants. However, this clip could be replaced by other means of attachment to a garment, such as snaps, etc. The clip 5 has the advantage of allowing the device to be conveniently attached to a strap passing over another part of the body, in particular if it is to be placed in the region of the shoulder blades. One can provide versions where the clip 5 would be fixed to the control plate ll ₉ while the body would be pressed against the rear face 4 of the housing.

In the example described above, the control plate 1 1 has a surface representing approximately half the surface of the front face 3 of the device, which has the advantage of avoiding too concentrated pressure on the body. In fact, the plate can constitute an even larger part of the face 3, or even all of it. If necessary, the control plate can be formed by a separate piece from the rest of the housing and fixed to it by any assembly. It is also possible to conceive embodiments in which the control plate is associated with a piezoelectric crystal whose output voltage controls an electronic switch which replaces the switch 27. Another alternative embodiment consists in replacing one or the other vibration generators 28 and 44 described above by another suitable tactile warning, for example a strip stuck to the skin and producing tingling by small electrical discharges.

Compared with the devices according to the prior art, the device according to the invention has notable advantages. Its inaudible way of awakening the user is particularly discreet and effective, which makes it possible to wear it practically in all circumstances, even in professional life or in a noisy atmosphere. As the device does not have a special belt, it can easily be hidden under a garment during use. It can also easily be removed after use, if necessary, and stored in a pocket or handbag. On the other hand, the device also has the advantage of being easily adjustable when it is put in place. In this way, one can always adjust the switch-on threshold of the device according to the tension of the garment or other support to which it is attached, according to the actual attitudes of the user.

Claims

claims

1. Warning device for correcting the attitude of the body of a user, comprising a flattened box, provided with means for fixing to the body or to a piece of clothing, this box comprising a source of electrical energy, an electric horn, a switching member controlling said alarm, and a control plate provided with elastic return means and arranged to actuate the switching member under the effect of an external force that exceeds ^a predetermined threshold and supports the control plate or the housing against a part of the body, characterized in that the alarm is a tactile alarm (28, 44), in that the control plate (11) is integral with the housing (2) and forms at at least part of a front face (3) of the housing, the elastic return means being constituted by the plate (11) and / or a part of the housing, and in that it comprises adjustment means formed by at least a stop member (17) adjustable position, interposed between the control plate (II) and an opposing portion of the housing (2).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control plate (1 1) is made in one piece with the housing (2), in which it is defined by a slot (10) which partially surrounds it.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control plate (11) has a lateral flange (23) extending towards the inside of the housing and having a stop surface (24), facing a adjusting member (17) mounted in the housing so that it can be moved between several different positions in which different points on said surface (24) abut against it when the control plate (11) is pressed from the outside.

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said adjusting member (17) is provided with a control button (16) outside the housing. - II -

5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control plate (1 1) has an area equal to or greater than half the area of the front face (3) of the housing.

6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tactile horn is a vibration generator (28) comprising a rotor having an unbalance.

7. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (2) is provided with a fixing member (5) arranged to hang the housing detachably on a piece of clothing (7, 8).

8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that said fixing member is a clip (5) formed by an elastic blade extending along the face (4) opposite to the front face (3) of the housing (2 ).

9. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing is provided with a socket (31) for the electrical connection of a complementary sensor (41) placed at a distance from the housing, this sensor being provided with a switching connected in parallel with the switching member (27) contained in the housing.

10. Device according to claim 1 or 9, characterized in that the housing is provided with a socket (32) for the electrical connection of a complementary tactile alarm (44) placed at a distance from the housing, this alarm being connected in parallel with the horn (28) contained in the housing.