TWM656911U - Electronic foot ring - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic anklet includes a ring, a distance sensor disposed on the ring, a control module and a warning module. The ring is disposed on a user's foot. The control module is electrically connected to the distance sensor and the warning module respectively. When there is an obstacle near the user's foot, the distance sensor detects a relative distance between the obstacle and the user's foot to generate a warning signal. A distance sensing signal is received and transmitted to the control module. The control module receives and determines whether the relative distance is less than or equal to a trigger distance according to the distance sensing signal. When the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module controls the warning module to issue a warning, so that the user notices the warning and stops approaching or avoids the obstacle to reduce the probability of falling.

Description

Electronic anklet

This invention relates to a foot ring, in particular an electronic foot ring that can detect obstacles and issue warnings.

With the advancement of medicine, the average age of human beings has increased, leading to the advent of an aging era. The issue of elderly care has also received increasing attention. Some elderly people can receive more complete care because they live with their children or in long-term care institutions (hereinafter defined as Class A elderly people). Although Class A elderly people can receive immediate care after a fall, it may still take a lot of time to recover to the physical condition before the fall, not to mention that some elderly people may live alone because they have no children (hereinafter defined as Class B elderly people). When Class B elderly people have an accident, they may miss the opportunity for rescue because no one finds them, and eventually it turns into a regrettable accident. Therefore, whether they are Class A elderly or Class B elderly people, they should avoid accidents such as falls and collisions.

The above-mentioned falls, collisions and other accidents usually occur because the elderly do not notice obstacles near them when walking, and are tripped or collided with obstacles. When an elderly person falls, a large amount of social medical costs will be spent on treatment or rescue as mentioned above, which will affect the development of the overall social economy. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a device that can reduce the occurrence of the above-mentioned accidents among the elderly.

In order to prevent users from falling or colliding with obstacles, the present invention proposes an electronic anklet, comprising: a ring for being mounted on a user's foot; a distance sensor mounted on the ring and generating a distance sensing signal according to a relative distance between the distance sensor and an obstacle; a warning module mounted on the ring; a control module electrically connected to the distance sensor and the warning module, respectively, the control module receives and determines whether the relative distance is less than or equal to a trigger distance according to the distance sensing signal, and when the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module controls the warning module to issue a warning.

The novel electronic anklet has the distance sensor, the control module and the warning unit arranged on the ring, and the control module is electrically connected to the distance sensor and the warning module respectively, and the user can place the ring on his feet so that the distance sensor can detect the surrounding environment of the user's feet; when there is an obstacle near the user's feet, the distance sensor detects a relative distance between it and the obstacle to generate a distance sensing signal, and transmits the distance sensing signal to the control module, and the control module receives and determines whether the relative distance is less than or equal to the distance sensing signal according to the distance sensing signal. At a trigger distance, when the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, it means that the user is too close to the obstacle. The control module controls the warning module to issue a warning, so that the user can stop approaching or avoid the obstacle when noticing the warning, thereby reducing the probability of the user falling due to the obstacle. If the user is an elderly person as described in the previous technology, when the probability of falling accidents is reduced, a large amount of social medical costs required after the accident can be saved, and the social medical costs can be used for other aspects such as drug development and disease prevention to promote the overall development of society.

10: Ring

11: C-type ring

12: Activities Department

20: Distance sensor

30: Control module

40: Warning module

50: Communication module

60: Positioning module

70: Heart rate sensor

80: Inertial sensor

S1: distance sensing signal

S2: Control signal

S3: Positioning information

S4: Heart rate sensor signal

S5: Tilt sensing signal

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the circuit block of the new electronic anklet.

Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the appearance of the new electronic anklet.

Figure 3: A partial enlarged view of the exterior of the new electronic anklet, including the internal structure of the active part.

Figure 4: A schematic diagram of a circuit block of an embodiment of the novel electronic anklet.

Figure 5: A schematic diagram of the appearance of an embodiment of the new electronic anklet.

In order to understand the technical features and practical effects of this creation in detail and to realize it according to the new content, the following is a detailed description of the implementation example shown in the figure:

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the electronic anklet of the present invention comprises a ring 10, a distance sensor 20, a control module 30 and a warning module 40. The ring 10 is used to be arranged on the foot of a user. For example, the ring 10 can be composed of a C-shaped ring 11 and a movable part 12. One side of the C-shaped ring 11 has an opening, and one side of the opening is provided with the movable part 12. Preferably, the movable part 12 is arranged on the foot in a hinged manner. One end of the C-shaped ring 11 is located on one side of the opening and can be controlled to open or close the opening. In short, the ring 10 can be set on the foot of the user by first operating the movable part 12 to open the opening, then the C-shaped ring 11 is engaged with the foot of the user (e.g., the upper edge of the ankle) through the opening, and then the movable part 12 is operated to close the opening to prevent the ring 10 from loosening and falling off the foot of the user.

The distance sensor 20 is disposed on the ring 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the distance sensor 20 is disposed in a receiving space inside the movable portion 12. The distance sensor 20 is used to detect a relative distance between the user's foot and an obstacle (not shown) in the surrounding environment to generate a distance sensing signal S1. In the embodiment, the distance sensor 20 is an ultrasonic sensor. The distance sensor 20 emits an ultrasonic signal. When the ultrasonic signal reaches the obstacle around the user's foot, it will be reflected by the obstacle. The distance sensor 20 will receive the reflected ultrasonic signal, and the distance sensor 20 calculates the relative distance between it and the obstacle according to the time of flight (ToF) principle to generate the distance sensing signal S1 according to the relative distance. How to use the time of flight principle to calculate a flight distance (the relative distance) is common knowledge in the relevant technical field and will not be elaborated here.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the inner wall of the ring 10 is a non-flat surface to limit a detection direction of the distance sensor 20. Specifically, because the non-flat surface of the ring 10 can increase the friction between the ring 10 and the user's foot, when the ring 10 is set on the user's foot, the distance sensor 20 can face the front or side of the user. For example, when the ring 10 is set on the user's left foot, the detection direction of the distance sensor 20 will be limited to the left side of the user.

The control module 30 and the warning module 40 are also respectively arranged on the ring 10. As shown in FIG3, the control module 30 and part of the warning module 40 are arranged in the accommodation space of the movable part 12. The control module 30 is electrically connected to the distance sensor 20 and the warning module 40 respectively. The control module 30 receives the distance sensing signal S1 transmitted by the distance sensor 20, and determines whether the relative distance is less than or equal to a trigger distance according to the distance sensing signal S1. When the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module 30 transmits a control signal S2 to the warning module to control the warning module 40 to issue a warning.

For example, the control module 30 is an open source embedded hardware platform, such as an Arduino module. The control module 30 includes a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. port), one of which is connected to the distance sensor 20 for receiving the distance sensing signal S1, and one of which is connected to the warning module 40 for controlling its operation; the control module 30 pre-stores the information of the trigger distance, and the control module 30 determines whether the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance according to the relative distance calculated by the distance sensing signal S1. When the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, it means that the ring 10 (i.e., the user's foot) is too close to the obstacle, and the control module 30 controls the warning module 40 to issue a warning.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the warning module 40 is a buzzer. When the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module 30 controls the buzzer to emit a warning sound effect, and reminds the user through hearing that he is too close to the obstacle; or in another embodiment of the present invention, the warning module 40 is a vibration motor. When the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module 30 controls the vibration motor to drive the ring 10 to vibrate, and reminds the user through touch that he is too close to the obstacle.

In addition, please refer to FIG. 4 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic anklet further comprises a communication module 50, a positioning module 60, a heart rate sensor 70 and an inertia sensor 80. The communication module 50 is disposed on the ring body 10 and is electrically connected to the control module 30. The communication module 50 is used for the control module 30 to send and receive information externally. Specifically, the The communication module 50 can receive input commands from a cloud and transmit them to the control module 30, and wirelessly transmit the information that the control module 30 wants to send to the cloud. The cloud can be, for example, a mobile device (such as a smart phone, a computer, etc.) or a server, but is not limited to this. For example, the communication module 50 can be a communication module that supports the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

The positioning module 60 is also disposed on the ring 10 and electrically connected to the control module 30. The positioning module 60 is used to locate the position of the ring 10 to generate a positioning information S3 and transmit the positioning information S3 to the control module 30, so that the control module 30 can transmit the positioning information S3 to the outside through the communication module 50 (for example, to the aforementioned mobile device, the server, etc.). Preferably, the positioning module 60 is a satellite positioning module supporting the global positioning system (GPS).

As shown in FIG. 5 , the heart rate sensor 70 is disposed on the inner side of the ring 10, for example, on the back side of the movable portion 12. The heart rate sensor 70 is used to detect the user's heart rate to generate a heart rate sensing signal S4. For example, the heart rate sensor 70 measures the user's heart rate through the photoelectric pulse principle. Therefore, the heart rate sensor 70 is disposed on the ring 10 and exposed to the ring. 10, when the user wears the electronic anklet, the heart rate sensor 70 can contact the skin of the user's foot to detect the user's heart rate, and the heart rate sensor 70 is electrically connected to the control module 30 to transmit the heart rate sensing signal S4 to the control module 30, so that the control module 30 can also transmit the heart rate sensing signal S4 to the outside through the communication module 50.

The inertial sensor 80 is disposed on the ring 10 and electrically connected to the control module 30. The inertial sensor 80 is used to sense a tilt angle of the ring 10 to generate a tilt angle sensing signal S5. The control module 30 receives and determines whether the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a trigger tilt angle according to the tilt angle sensing signal S5. When the tilt angle is greater than or equal to the trigger tilt angle, the control module 30 transmits a prompt message to the outside through the communication module 50.

For example, the inertial sensor 80 may be a gyroscope sensor. When the user wears the electronic anklet, the acceleration generated by the user's movement will cause the ring 10 to deflect, and the sensing element in the gyroscope sensor will move to generate an induced current. The induced current is the tilt sensing signal S5. The control module 30 has a built-in comparison table of induced current and tilt angle, and the tilt angle of the ring 10 can be determined according to the magnitude of the induced current. (i.e. deflected state), and a threshold current value is stored in the control module 30; when the ring 10 is hit hard and the tilt angle increases, it means that the user may have fallen, collided, or other accidents, and the value of the induced current received by the control module 30 will be larger and exceed the threshold current value, then the control module 30 transmits the prompt message through the communication module 50 to remind others that the user of the electronic anklet may have had an accident. In addition, the inertial sensor 80 can also be a three-axis sensor, and its operating principle is common knowledge in the technical field and the principle of the gyroscope sensor is similar, so it will not be repeated.

The ring 10 of the electronic anklet of the present invention is used to be arranged on the foot of a user, and a distance sensor 20, a control module 30 and a warning module 40 are also arranged on the ring, and the control module 30 is electrically connected to the distance sensor 20 and the warning module 40 respectively; when there is an obstacle near the foot of the user, the distance sensor 20 detects a relative distance between it and the obstacle to generate a distance sensing signal S1, and transmits the distance sensing signal S1 to the control module 30, and the control module 30 receives and determines the relative distance according to the distance sensing signal S1. Whether the relative distance is less than or equal to a trigger distance. When the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, it means that the user is too close to the obstacle. The control module 30 controls the warning module 40 to issue a warning, so that the user stops approaching or avoids the obstacle, reducing the probability of the user falling due to the obstacle. If the user is an elderly person as described in the previous technology, when the probability of falling accidents is reduced, a large amount of social medical costs required after the accident can be saved, and the social medical costs can be used for other aspects such as drug development and disease prevention to promote the overall social development.

The above description only records the implementation methods or examples of the technical means adopted by this new model to solve the problem, and is not used to limit the scope of implementation of this new patent. That is, all equivalent changes and modifications that are consistent with the scope of application of this new patent or made according to the scope of this new patent are covered by the scope of this new patent.

10: Ring

11: C-type ring

12: Activities Department

20: Distance sensor

40: Warning module

Claims (9)

An electronic anklet comprises: A ring body for being arranged on a user's foot; A distance sensor arranged on the ring body and generating a distance sensing signal according to a relative distance between the distance sensor and an obstacle; A warning module arranged on the ring body; A control module electrically connected to the distance sensor and the warning module respectively, the control module receives and determines whether the relative distance is less than or equal to a trigger distance according to the distance sensing signal, and when the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module controls the warning module to issue a warning. The electronic anklet as described in claim 1 further comprises a communication module electrically connected to the control module, and the communication module is used for the control module to send and receive information externally. The electronic anklet as described in claim 2 further comprises a positioning module electrically connected to the control module, the positioning module is used to locate the position of the ring to generate positioning information and transmit the positioning information to the control module, and the control module transmits the positioning information externally through the communication module. The electronic anklet as described in claim 2 further includes an inertial sensor electrically connected to the control module. The inertial sensor detects a tilt angle of the ring to generate a tilt angle sensing signal. The control module receives and determines whether the tilt angle is greater than or equal to a trigger tilt angle based on the tilt angle sensing signal. When the tilt angle is greater than or equal to the trigger tilt angle, the control module transmits a prompt message to the outside through the communication module. The electronic anklet as described in claim 2 further includes a heart rate sensor electrically connected to the control module, the heart rate sensor is used to detect the user's heart rate to generate a heart rate sensing signal, and transmit the heart rate sensing signal to the control module, and the control module transmits the heart rate sensing signal to the outside through the communication module. An electronic anklet as described in claim 1, wherein the distance sensor is an ultrasonic sensor. The electronic anklet as described in claim 1, wherein the warning module is a buzzer, and when the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module controls the buzzer to emit a warning sound. As described in claim 1, the warning module is a vibration motor, and when the relative distance is less than or equal to the trigger distance, the control module controls the vibration motor to operate to drive the ring to vibrate. An electronic anklet as described in claim 1, wherein the inner wall of the ring is a non-flat surface to limit a detection direction of the distance sensor.

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