Method and Apparatus of Preventing a Fall or Minimizing the Impact of the Fall of an Individual

Abstract

Falling causes serious injury to the body and is a leading cause of death in the elderly. An external belt placed over the waist comprises an inertia system and expandable modules. These modules contain packed air bags and can be expanded in size by orders of magnitude using an air tank. The modules are selected by the inertia system that senses the direction of the fall. The selected module is filled with air from the air tank generating a protective mattress which can be used to cushion their fall. Serious injury to the body can be reduced or even prevented. The module instead can contain an expandable support structure to reach the floor and act as a “third leg”. This support structure may be used by the individual to gain control of the individual's balance and stabilize the individual allowing a re-capture of balance and preventing the fall from occurring.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Accidental falls to individuals can cause the development of serious medical issues for an individual, particularly if the individual is elderly. Falling causes serious injury to the body and is a leading cause of death. The fall can cause medical issues include broken bones, concussions, broken hips and many other impact injuries. When a fall occurs, an alert procedure is required so aid can arrive to the fallen individual to minimize comorbidities and long term impacts associated with the initial injury.

In one notification procedure, the individual carries an apparatus that has a button that can be pressed to alert a monitoring group that the individual is in need of emergency care. The apparatus has a wireless interface that can contact authorities once the button is depressed. The alert provides the location of the individual, so appropriate attention can be provided to the individual in need. However, if the individual goes unconscious after the fall and is not able to press the button, help will not be arriving as required.

There are existing fall monitoring devices (that utilize GPS, RF, accelerometers, etc.) that send alerts to nurses, caregivers, a server, etc., as well as mobile vital sign monitoring devices that have completed or are in FDA trials (temperature, heart rate, oxygen, pulse), and are deployed in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice, etc. These systems are applicable to an individual liable to fall, or a high risk elderly patient most likely to fall. The additional data collected can be entered as a biomedical monitor, watch, etc.

Another notification procedure, (as described in “Wireless network detects falls by the elderly”, Sep. 9, 2013, University of Utah, Brad Mager and Neal Patwari, http://phys.org/news/2013-09-wireless-network-falls-elderly.html) a wireless system can monitor when the individual falls. This monitoring system can be used to alert a service that the individual is in need of emergency care. The University of Utah has developed a network of wireless sensors that can detect an individual falling. These sensors are mounted within the room and can monitor the individual at all times; however, the system can only help the individual within the room containing the wireless sensors. For example, if the individual goes for walk outside, the wireless network may not exist and another form of fall monitoring would be required.

U.S. patent publication No. 2004-0003455 to Davidson published Jan. 8, 2004, discloses a wearable inflatable system that can adjust the trajectory of the body during a fall and/or to adjust the alignment of a back and a hip of a body during a fall to minimize the injury. For instance, the inflatable elements may adjust the body to assume a sitting position before the body makes contact with the floor.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,330,305 to Hart et al. published Dec. 11, 2012, discloses a system and method for protecting devices from impact damage. Once a device is detected to be free falling and on an impact path, a protection system is activated to reduce or substantially eliminate damage to the device. The protection could include an inflatable air bag, a gas jet that generates an opposing force to minimize the impact or the exposure of springs on the side which is going to make contact. The protection of an individual is substantially different than that for a device since the individual typically will have at least one body component (i.e., a foot) in contact with the floor at all times and never be totally independent of the floor as the dropped device would be. Secondly, the air bag is not deployed selectively to protect the side coming in contact with the ground. Also, the individual is not “portable” and is currently “in contact with the surface” since the individual has at least a second point of contact. In addition, protecting a solid body “device” is different than a soft body human where an orientation adjustment can be performed easily.

The body weight of an individual in comparison to that of the weight of a portable device would make the blasts of air or spring extensions difficult. Furthermore, the individual is not replaceable unlike the device where one can easily replace the device by purchasing another comparable device. The individual requires greater careful and delicate care to insure that the health of the individual is maintained.

Various approaches have been described to notify authorities and to minimize impact damage for either individuals or devices due to a fall. These include a push button alert, wireless network sensors to sense a fall, inflatable girdle or internal belt (placed under the pants and shirt) to reduce the effect of the impact, inflatable cushions to align the body into a safer shape to absorb the impact, blasts of air or exposable springs to reduce deceleration.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of one of the present inventions uses an external belt placed over the pants and shirt holding multiple expandable modules where selected modules can be increased in size by orders of magnitude via a line that can be switched to an air tank containing compressed air. The modules are selected according to the direction the individual is falling determined by the directional accelerator. An inertia system formed by the fall accelerometer senses the direction of the fall and enables the corresponding switch to expand the module. As the individual falls, the deflated cushion is filled with air from the compressed source providing a cushion approaching the size of the body of the individual which can be used to cushion their fall. The effect of the fall is minimized and any potential damage to the body can be reduced or even prevented.

Another embodiment of one of the present inventions uses an innovative approach by detecting the fall indicating a loss of balance of the individual and generating an expandable support structure in the direction of the fall to reach the floor and act as a “third leg”. This support may be used by the individual to gain control of the individual's balance and stabilize the individual preventing the fall from being completed. Therefore, the individual's balance is restored and the fall is prevented. Once balance is restored, the potential fall has been eliminated and any possible injuries to the body are eliminated.

Another embodiment of one of the present inventions uses an innovative approach by detecting the fall and generating a second support structure is expanded upwards to provide stability to the upper portion of the body. The expandable support structure from the external belt in the direction of the fall to reach the floor which acts as a “third leg” provides the stability base for the protection system. These two supports may be used by the individual to gain control of the individual's balance and stabilize the individual preventing the fall from being completed. Once balance is restored, the fall is prevented and any potential injuries to the body are eliminated.

Another embodiment of one of the present inventions uses an innovative approach by detecting the loss of balance by the fall accelerometer and generating a number of spherical balloons from the external belt that reach the floor to provide stability to the hip region of the body. Either the expandable spherical balloons or the third legs emitted from the external belt can be enabled surrounding all sides of the individual which acts as a barrier and support that provides the stability base for the protection system. The directional accelerometer would not be required since the protection is a “blanket plan” that covers all sides of the individual. In this case, the switches may not be necessary. These spherical balloons may be used by the individual to gain control of the individual's balance and stabilize the individual preventing the fall from being completed. Once balance is restored, the fall is prevented and any potential injuries to the body are eliminated. The spherical balloons can then be deflated and reused.

Another embodiment of one of the present inventions uses an innovative approach to minimize the volume of the air used from the air tank containing compressed air by selectively operating air switches to fill only those expandable cushions that will reduce bodily injury. The system determines the direction of the fall and enables only those switches to expand the cushion which will segregate the contact area of the body from the floor. The expanded cushion will buffer the contact area from the floor and minimize any injuries associated with the fall.

Another embodiment of one of the present inventions is a system to minimize an injury to an individual experiences a fall comprising: an external belt with a plurality of packets; at least one air tank; a fall accelerometer configured to detect a loss of balance and a start of the fall; a directional accelerometer configured to detect a direction of the tall; a processor uses the detected direction to enable a corresponding packet; and the corresponding packet expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual, wherein the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area, further comprising: a plurality of switches located in the external belt; the processor configured to enable at least one switch; an air channel formed between the corresponding packet and the air tank by the at least one enabled switch, wherein the at least one enabled switch channels compressed air from the air tank to the corresponding packet. The system wherein an expansion transformation of the corresponding packet to the inflated mattress occurs in a predictable way, wherein the corresponding packet packs an air bag where a first section to expand from the corresponding packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual, wherein the corresponding packet decreases in size as the inflated mattress expands in size.

Another embodiment of one of the present inventions is a system to minimize an injury to an individual that experiences a loss of balance comprising: an external belt with a plurality of packets; at least one air tank; a fall accelerometer configured to detect the loss of balance; a directional accelerometer configured to detect a direction of a fall; a processor uses the detected direction to enable a corresponding packet of the plurality of packets; and the corresponding packet expands to a third leg, wherein the third leg fully inflates to provide a temporary support for the individual to recapture their balance, wherein at least one additional packet expands to provide a head and a neck support, further comprising: a plurality of switches located in the external belt; the processor configured to enable at least one switch; an air channel formed between the corresponding packet and the air tank by the at least one enabled switch, wherein the at least one enabled switch channels compressed air from the air tank to the corresponding packet, wherein an expansion transformation of the corresponding packet to the third leg occurs in a predictable way. The system wherein the corresponding packet packs an air bag where a first section to expand from the corresponding packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual, wherein if the individual fails to recapture their balance, then an additional packet expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual, wherein the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.

Another embodiment of one of the present inventions is a method of preventing an injury to an individual that experiences a loss of balance comprising the steps of: monitoring a balance of an individual with a fall accelerometer; detecting the loss of balance with a processor, enabling all packets on an external belt with at least one air tank; and expanding each of the packets to a fully inflated air bag that touch a ground surface, further comprising the steps of: expanding at least one additional packet to provide a head and a neck support, wherein the fully inflated air bags provide a temporary support for the individual to recapture their balance, wherein an expansion transformation of all packets to the fully inflated air bag occurs in a predictable way. The method wherein each of the packets pack an air bag where a first section to expand from each packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual, wherein if the individual fails to recapture their balance, then an additional packet expands to a shape of an inflated jigsaw portion which fits the fully inflated air bag to form an air mattress to cushion a fall of the individual, wherein the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Please note that the drawings shown in this specification may not necessarily be drawn to scale and the relative dimensions of various elements in the diagrams are depicted schematically. The inventions presented here may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiment of the invention. Like numbers refer to like elements in the diagrams.

FIG. 1 shows the fall of an individual with impact injuries.

FIG. 2 illustrates the fall of an individual with a reduction or elimination of impact injuries in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A depicts the front view of an external belt housing inflatable cushions in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B shows the side view of an external belt housing inflatable cushions in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3C presents the top view of an external belt housing inflatable cushions in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3D depicts a detailed view of an external belt housing inflatable cushions with the air canister and switchable valves in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3E illustrates a table indicating the relationship of inflatable cushions and enabled values of an external belt housing inflatable cushions in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the inflatable cushion being filled with gas during a fall of the individual in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of the electronics used to detect falls and inflate cushions in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart to enable and operate the system to minimize injuries in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows another flowchart to enable and operate the system to minimize injuries in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 depicts an external belt containing expandable third legs used to recapture the balance of an individual during a fall in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9A shows the side view 8-7 of FIG. 8 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9B depicts a side view with several third legs in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9C shows a side view with several third legs, some extending to the head area to provide further support in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9D illustrates a front view of FIG. 9C in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 depicts another flowchart to enable and operate third legs of the system and prepare to enable air cushions if stabilization does not occur to minimize injuries in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates the fall of an individual with a reduction or elimination of impact injuries using a visual gesture system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fall prevention or protection techniques are essential to insure the health of individuals. Autonomous protection of soft body parts (head and hips) of variable integrity/strength with a sensor array including accelerometers and micro GPS that can instantly determine if a fall is occurring and then perform compensating techniques to minimize or prevent the fall. Besides detecting a fall, loss of consciousness (e.g. stroke, heart attack, and epileptic seizure) and the tenseness and strength of muscles and bone in neck and waist can be measured to determine if a fall is going to happen since the individual may black out.

The deflated air bag is called a packet. The content of a packet contains an air bag in a collapsed form. The packet when expanded generates an air bag. The packet is packed such that the expansion transformation of the packet to an air bag occurs in a predictable way. In other words, the section of the air bay which is farthest from the body is the first section to expand from the packet. This is determined by the method of how the air bag is packed within the packet. Once the air bag is fully deployed, the fully inflated air bag can also be referred as a mattress, a “third leg”, or an upper body support depending on the function of the fully inflated air bag. The controlled deployment of a packet array around the hips and neck/head area protects these regions during a fall. The deployment of the air bag array from the packet array can be also be based on threat, trajectory, and surrounding objects in the area. Applications of these techniques can be shared in professional sports (practice), for elder care, for injured veterans, etc.

Helmets, neck braces/collars are well established for protecting bike riders, patients with neck injuries, neurological disorders, etc. Besides the hip region, the neck/head are most vulnerable in a fall where there is proximity to a vertical wall, chair, toilet seat, etc., or on a hard wood floor. The packets can be expanded to encompass the head and neck area. This way, the body's most vulnerable areas in a fall such as the hips/pelvis and neck/head regions are protected. The expanded air bag should be relatively rigid to protect the head without snapping the neck back.

An external belt over the clothes offers the benefit that the air bags can expanded to large dimensions. The prior art belts and girdle are usually placed under the clothes limiting the size of the air bag. Secondly, the external belt is simpler to use than an internal girdle, and facilitates access for the patient with regards to sanitary functions and services, etc.

The packets would also be reusable and inflated by high pressure recyclable air tanks compressed to a pressure of 3000 psi. An external girdle or external belt can comprise an array of packets, embedded accelerometers, and associated electronics. An inflatable control block uses the embedded accelerometers and associated electronics to obtain data to determine the direction of the fall. This data is used to determine the proper deployment of the packets to air bags. Other sources of data can be provided from sensors or circuits located in a patient's phone that can provide video, photos, GSP location, time, communication connection, or additional accelerometer information. The system could communicate with these devices through Bluetooth, Zigbie or other similar wireless techniques where appropriate or replicate minimal functionality where such a 3rd party device is not present on the patient for communications with responders.

FIG. 1 illustrates an individual 1-1 falling to the ground. Initially the individual 1-1 starts to lose his balance and falls in the direction of the arrow 1-2, finally the individual 1-1 that has fallen hits the ground at the hip area 1-4. The individual is shown wearing an external belt 1-6. Falls like this are particularly detrimental to those individuals who have weak bones due to osteoporosis which basically is related to age. The older you are, the harder you fall. A broken hip is an injury that can be a matter of life or death for the fallen individual 1-1.

In FIG. 2, the same situation as was illustrated in FIG. 1 with the exception of the packets 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 that are attached to the external belt 1-6. A packet also exists at the back of the individual which is not illustrated. These packets contain an inflatable air bag which will inflate due to an air tank containing compressed air fitted within the external belt. The deployment of the packet will depend on the direction that the individual 1-1 is falling. An onboard system senses the direction of the fall and controls the activation of the appropriate packet to become a filled airbag or mattress. The individual is falling in the direction 1-2 same as before but this time the individual 1-1 lands on an inflatable mattress 2-4 that was initially packed in the packet 2-3 attached to the external belt 1-4. This mattress is filled air and offers a protection or cushion to the falling individual 1-1 as they make contact with the ground. Therefore, this mattress 2-4 should reduce potential injuries to the hip area. Although not illustrated, the mattress can be extended to include protection of the neck and head area as well.

FIG. 3A-FIG. 3E presents more detail on the external belt 1-6 with the attached packets. FIG. 3A illustrates a front view of the belt where we have the packets 2-1, 2-2 and 2-3 illustrated. FIG. 3B illustrates the view from the right side of the external belt. The packet 3-1 at the rear of the individual is illustrated. FIG. 3C presents a top view of the external belt where the packets 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 3-1 are located on the perimeter of the external belt 1-6. In FIG. 3D, a more detailed description of the external belt 1-6 with the air tanks 3-3, packets (2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 3-1) and switches (SW 1-5) are presented. The packets are shown with the corresponding orientation, for instance, packet 2-2 protects the Front of the individual, and packet 3-1 protects the Rear of the individual. The packet 2-1 protects the Right side of the individual while the packet 2-3 protects the Left side of the individual. These directions will also be used to assign the direction of the fall. Although only four packets are illustrated, the number of packets located on the external belt can be adjusted as required.

The switches can be eliminated if each packet contained its own air tank containing compressed air. Then, when the system determines the direction of the fall, the corresponding packet or packets are enabled directly from their own air tank containing a compressed air supply.

The switches work to channel the compressed air from the air tank 3-3 to the appropriate packet. This way a minimal amount of compressed air is required to expand a minimum number of packets. The switches will be activated by a fall detected by sensors which need information into a control system comprising a microprocessor/microcontroller. The table 3-4 illustrates the appropriate switches SW 1-4 that need to be enabled to expand one of the packets (2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 3-1). For example, to expand packet 2-2 SW1 needs to be enabled and in table 3-4 shows that to enable packet 2-2, SW1 must be enabled. Another example would be enabling packet 3-1 and in this case SW2 and SW4 would need to be enabled to inflate packet 3-1. In table 3-4, the enablement of packet 3-1 requires SW2 and SW4 to be enabled confirming the previous statement. Thus, with these switches, only one packet can be expanded. Although not illustrated, it is also possible that if the individual is falling equally in the Front-Left direction, that switches SW1, SW2 and SW5 can be enabled. In this case 2-2 and 2-3 would be inflated protecting the individual from a fall in the Front-Left direction.

FIG. 4 illustrates the packet 2-3 being inflated as the individual is falling. As the air bag 4-3 inflates, the packet 4-2 decreases in size. As the individual continues falling, the air bag 4-5 inflates larger while the packet 4-4 decreases further in size. The next sequence shows a much larger air bag 4-7 with a smaller packet 4-6 and continues where the air bag 4-9 is even larger while the packet 4-8 continues to decrease in size. Finally, before the individual hits ground the packet 4-10 is reduced to its smallest while the inflatable mattress 2-4 (the fully inflated air bag) is prepared to cushion the fall of the individual. The packet decreases in size because the air bag is formed directly from the contents of the packet. The reduction in size of the packet offers a benefit since the packet will not interfere with the individual when the individual lands on the mattress, particularly since the packet size 4-10 will be insignificant. In addition, the air bag is packed within the packet in a pre-determined pattern where the deployment of the air bag occurs in a predictable fashion. This allows the packets to be deployed identically in shape, orientation, and in a well described manner.

FIG. 5 illustrates an inertia system 5-1 which is used to control the inflation of the packet into a fully inflated air bag. The processor 5-4 is coupled to the memory 5-12 and a communication link 5-11. The system can contain a GPS 5-2 to provide the location of the individual, a voice recognition unit 5-3 to be able to capture the voice of the individual so that it can be sent over a wireless phone 5-7 or through the communication link 5-11. A camera 5-8 is also coupled to the processor 5-4 and can be used to send pictures or video over the communication line as well as being used to determine the direction of the fall. The system also includes a biomedical monitoring alert, such that during the fall, the information of the biomedical monitor vitals can be sent to a nurse or to a medical alert center 5-9. This will enable the medical alert center to monitor the health status of the individual by providing heart rate, temperature, pulse oximetry, etc. The system also contains a fall accelerometer 5-5 which detects when the individual is falling, while the directional accelerometer 5-6 is used to determine the direction that the individual is falling. This information is coupled to the processor 5-4 and fed to the inflation control block 5-13 which then enables the switches to channel the compressed air from the air tank to one or more of several packets 5-10 causing the packet to inflatable into a fully inflated air bag.

FIG. 6 presents a flowchart of one embodiment of how the system in FIG. 5 is used. The system monitors the fall accelerometer 6-1 and if the individual is not falling 6-2 continues to monitor the fall accelerometer 6-1 for a potential fall. However, once the individual is detected as falling, the directional accelerometers determining the direction of whether it's to the Left, Right, Front, or Back. Once the system determines the proper direction of the fall, the inflatable control block 5-13 is used to enable the switches to allow air flow to the appropriate packet 6-4. Once the chosen packet 6-6 is inflated, the mattress protects or offers a barrier before the individual hits the ground and thereby minimizes the impact of the fall of the individual 6-7. At this point the alert nurse can send vitals to the medical alert through the wireless communication network 6-8 or it could establish a voice wireless communication link 6-9 and simultaneously call 911 6-10. After the fall, the mattress can be slowly deflated 6-11 and the flowchart is done 6-12.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of another embodiment of how the system in FIG. 5 can be used. The system monitors the fall accelerometer 6-1 and if the individual is not falling 6-2 continues to monitor the fall accelerometer 6-1 for a potential fall. However, once the individual is detected falling, the camera is used to determine the direction of the fall by visual inspection 7-1. Since the camera is located in a given position on the external belt, the camera can detect the levelness of objects and/or their tilt. A clockwise tilt of the levelness of objects indicates that the Left side needs a mattress. A counterclockwise tilt of the levelness of objects indicates that the Right side needs protection. The camera can also detect whether the levelness of objects is rising or falling relative to an initial position. If the levelness is rising, the Front mattress is required and if the levelness is falling, the Rear mattress is required. Once the system determines the proper direction the inflatable control block 5-13 is used to enable switches to allow air flow to the appropriate packet 6-4. This basically inflates the chosen packet 6-6 before the individual hits the ground and thereby cushions the fall of the individual 6-7. At this point the alert nurse can send vitals to the medical alert through the wireless communication network 6-8 or it could establish a voice wireless communication link 6-9 and simultaneously call 911 6-10. After the fall the bag can be slowly deflated 6-11 and a flowchart is complete 6-12. The camera system can also be used in conjunction with the directional accelerometers.

If an individual starts to fall and if they can achieve some type of temporary support, there is a chance that the individual may recover their balance and prevent the fall from occurring. An example of this embodiment is depicted in the sequence 8-8 illustrated in FIG. 8. The individual 1-1 is wearing an external belt comprised of many packets 8-1 through 8-5 as well as those not illustrated behind the individual 1-1. Each of these packets contains an inflatable third leg or temporary support. As the individual starts to fall 1-2, the system with the inflation control block 5-13 is used to determine the appropriate packet to inflate. The individual is losing balance to their left side and begins to slowly fall. The fall accelerometer detects when the individual starts to loss their balance by detecting that the individual starts to fall. The inertia system determines the direction of the fall associated with the loss of balance and causes a third leg 8-6 to quickly expand coming in contact with a ground surface 8-9, thereby offering a temporary support to the individual who has lost their balance since they are in the process of falling. This third leg 8-6 may be a sufficient temporary support and be provided at the appropriate time for the individual to recapture their sense of balance and stand erect again. In this case, this belt offers the ability to prevent a fall when the individual is in the process losing their balance. The directional accelerometers are set to enable the packet when balance starts to be lost. The arrow 8-7 illustrates a view from the side which is illustrated in the next figure.

If individual fails to recapture their balance, then a packet, associated with the packet that expanded to the third leg, expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual. Simultaneously, the third leg deflates while the associated packet expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual. Another possibility is for the associated packet to provide a jigsaw portion of an air bag to fit the outline of the third leg and create an effective air mattress.

FIG. 9A illustrates the view 8-7 of the individual 1-1 from the side. The external belt contains the various packets 8-3, 8-4, 8-8 and 8-9. One of the packets becomes inflated providing the third leg 8-6 to the individual. This temporary support at the critical time of when the individual is transitioning towards falling can offer the individual the chance to recapture their balance and thereby prevent the fall from occurring at all. This would eliminate any injuries associated with the detected fall and offer great savings to the individual and society by eliminating the need for medical attention and preventing a potential hard fall or injury, i.e., a broken hip. FIG. 98 illustrates the individual 1-1 with several third legs 9-1, 8-6 and 9-2. This offers greater support and potentially can prevent a fall from occurring earlier than the case of just one third leg as illustrated in FIG. 9A.

Note that another possibility is to enable all third legs independent of the direction of the fall. Once the fall accelerometer detects a loss of balance or the start of a fall, the selection process of determining what direction the individual is falling would not be required. Immediately after the determination of a loss of balance, all packets containing deflated third legs can be expanded supporting the individual from all sides. This would provide a stable support surrounding the entire individual. This stable support can be considered a barrier which may block the individual from falling.

FIG. 9C illustrates a third leg with an upper body support. The packet under the arm generates the third leg 8-6 while the two adjacent packets provide support from ground level all the way to the head level of the individual. For example, the third leg 9-3 also has an upper body support 9-4. The third leg 9-5 expands an upper body support 9-6. The individual 1-1 is now in contact with a larger area providing a distributed force across the entire upper body. This is depicted in FIG. 9D where a front view illustrates the body being in contact with a significant area of the upper body supports. This offers greater support and potentially can prevent a fall from occurring earlier than the case of just a plurality of third legs as illustrated in FIG. 9B.

In some cases, the third leg may not be able to offer a support to the individual so that the individual can recapture their sense of balance. In this case, it's necessary to cause the inflation of a mattress to cushion the fall of the individual. The flowchart depicted in FIG. 10 presents the sequence of when the third leg works and when the third leg does not prevent the individual from falling.

As depicted in FIG. 10, the system monitors the fall accelerometer 6-1 and if the individual is not falling 6-2 continues to monitor for a potential fall. However, once the individual is detected falling, the directional accelerometers determining the direction of whether it's to the Left, Right, Front or Back. Once the system determines the proper direction, the inflatable control block 5-13 is used to enable switches to allow air flow to the appropriate packet 10-1. The chosen airbag is inflated 6-6 and provides a third foot for the individual 10-2. The process then moves to determining whether the individual is beyond stabilization 10-3 and if the third leg caused the individual to become stabilized 10-4 then the process moves to slowly deflate the air bag 6-11 and terminates at 6-12. However, if the individual is not stabilized 10-4, then at least one additional third foot can be deployed 10-5 moving the process flow back to the decision block to determine if an individual is beyond stabilization 10-3. If the individual is beyond stabilization then the full mattress is deployed 10-6 which is used to cushion the fall of the individual 6-7 and as before the nurse is alerted 6-8 of all the biomedical monitor vitals and a voice wireless communication link is established 6-9 to make a call to 911 6-10 after which the bag slowly deflate 6-11 and a process is completed 6-12.

In FIG. 11, the same situation as was illustrated in FIG. 1 with the exception of the packets 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 that are attached to the external belt 1-6. A packet also exists at the back of the individual which is not illustrated. These packets contain an inflatable air bag which will inflate due to an air tank containing compressed air fitted within the external belt. The deployment of the packet will depend on the direction that the individual 1-1 is falling. An external system senses the direction of the fall and controls the activation of the appropriate packet to become a filled airbag or mattress. The individual is falling in the direction 1-2 but this time the individual 1-1 lands on an inflatable mattress 2-4 that was initially packed in the packet 2-3 attached to the external belt 1-4. This mattress is filled with air and offers a protection or cushion to the falling individual 1-1 as they make contact with the ground. Therefore, this mattress 2-4 should reduce potential injuries to the hip area. Although not illustrated, the mattress can be extended to include protection of the neck and head area as well.

The system described in FIG. 11 comprises an external camera mounted on the ceiling of a home or elderly care facility could control the external belt mounted packets in a wireless manner. Here at least one camera (11-1, 11-2, and 11-3) is used to monitor the individual. The cameras can be used to detect if the individual is falling or can be used to observe an unusual gesture made by the individual. For instance, a comparison of the sight lines 11-4 and 11-5 and the others not labeled show that there has been an angular displacement of the individual indicative of falling. The visual images or video is feed to a processor 11-6 which analyzes the data and determines what packets on the individual need to be enabled. The processed data is applied to a wireless interface 11-7 and sent to the external belt of the individual. The received data is decoded by the on-board processor and enables the appropriate packet. The corresponding packet becomes a mattress 2-4 should reduce potential injuries to the hip area. This visual method can also be used by the “third leg” and an upper body support protective procedures.

Finally, it is understood that the above description are only illustrative of the principles of the current invention. It is understood that the various embodiments of the invention, although different, are not mutually exclusive. In accordance with these principles, those skilled in the art may devise numerous modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Also a monitoring system can be developed to detect the gait or cognition of an individual with Parkinson's disease and monitoring the individual for the step time, step velocity and cognition to predict if the individual will fall. The processor comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit), microprocessor, DSP, Network processor, video processor, a front end processor, multi-core processor, or a co-processor. All of the supporting elements to operate these processors (memory, disks, monitors, keyboards, etc) although not necessarily shown are know by those skilled in the art for the operation of the entire system. In addition, other communication techniques can be used to send the information between all links such as TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), Wi-Fi, etc.

Claims

1. A system to minimize an injury to an individual experiences a fall comprising:

an external belt with a plurality of packets;

at least one air tank;

a fall accelerometer configured to detect a loss of balance and a start of the fall;

a directional accelerometer configured to detect a direction of the fall;

a processor uses the detected direction to enable a corresponding packet; and

the corresponding packet expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of switches located in the external belt;

the processor configured to enable at least one switch;

an air channel formed between the corresponding packet and the air tank by the at least one enabled switch, wherein

the at least one enabled switch channels compressed air from the air tank to the corresponding packet.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

an expansion transformation of the corresponding packet to the inflated mattress occurs in a predictable way.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein

the corresponding packet packs an air bag where a first section to expand from the corresponding packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein

the corresponding packet decreases in size as the inflated mattress expands in size.

7. A system to minimize an injury to an individual that experiences a loss of balance comprising:

an external belt with a plurality of packets;

at least one air tank;

a fall accelerometer configured to detect the loss of balance;

a directional accelerometer configured to detect a direction of a fall;

a processor uses the detected direction to enable a corresponding packet of the plurality of packets; and

the corresponding packet expands to a third leg, wherein

the third leg fully inflates to provide a temporary support for the individual to recapture their balance.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein

at least one additional packet expands to provide a head and a neck support.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a plurality of switches located in the external belt;

the processor configured to enable at least one switch;

an air channel formed between the corresponding packet and the air tank by the at least one enabled switch, wherein

at least one enabled switch channels compressed air from the air tank to the corresponding packet.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein

an expansion transformation of the corresponding packet to the third leg occurs in a predictable way.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein

the corresponding packet packs an air bag where a first section to expand from the corresponding packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein

if the individual fails to recapture their balance, then an additional packet expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual.

13. A system of claim 12, wherein

the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.

14. A method of preventing an injury to an individual that experiences a loss of balance comprising the steps of:

monitoring the balance of an individual with a fall accelerometer;

detecting the loss of balance with a processor;

enabling all packets on an external belt with at least one air tank; and

expanding each of the packets to a fully inflated air bag that touches a ground surface.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

expanding at least one additional packet to provide a head and a neck support.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein

the fully inflated air bags provide a temporary support for the individual to recapture their balance.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein

an expansion transformation of all packets to the fully inflated air bag occurs in a predictable way.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein

each of the packets pack an air bag where a first section to expand from each packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein

if the individual fails to recapture their balance, then an additional packet expands to a shape of an inflated jigsaw portion which fits the fully inflated air bag to form an air mattress to cushion a fall of the individual.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein

the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.