U.S. patent application number 15/083865 was filed with the patent office on 2017-08-17 for footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user and a method thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Wipro Limited. Invention is credited to Vijay KUMAR, Santhosh Kumar MADATHIL, Thomas Chittakattu NINAN.
Application Number | 20170231569 15/083865 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59559844 |
Filed Date | 2017-08-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170231569 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KUMAR; Vijay ; et
al. |
August 17, 2017 |
FOOTWEAR FOR MONITORING HEALTH CONDITION OF FOOT OF A USER AND A
METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to footwear for monitoring health
condition of foot of a user. The footwear comprises one or more
image capturing devices and a control unit. The image capturing
devices are placed at predefined locations in the footwear to
capture one or more images of the foot, when the user is wearing
the footwear. The control unit is configured to receive the
captured images from the image capturing devices. The captured
images are compared with one or more pre-stored images of a healthy
foot to identify differences between the captured images and the
pre-stored images. The control unit detects health condition of the
foot of the user based on the differences. Further, the control
unit provides a notification about the health condition of the foot
to a computing device associated with the user or one or more care
providers of the user.
Inventors: |
KUMAR; Vijay; (Bangalore,
IN) ; MADATHIL; Santhosh Kumar; (Bangalore, IN)
; NINAN; Thomas Chittakattu; (Kannur District,
IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wipro Limited |
Bangalore |
|
IN |
|
|
Family ID: |
59559844 |
Appl. No.: |
15/083865 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
600/476 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 5/6829 20130101;
G16H 20/40 20180101; A61B 5/0082 20130101; A61B 5/02416 20130101;
A61B 5/0077 20130101; G16H 40/63 20180101; A61B 2562/0219 20130101;
A61B 2562/066 20130101; A61B 5/004 20130101; G16H 50/30 20180101;
A61B 2562/0247 20130101; A61B 2562/046 20130101; A61B 5/6807
20130101; G16H 50/70 20180101; A61B 5/7275 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61B 5/00 20060101
A61B005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 15, 2016 |
IN |
201641005248 |
Claims
1. A footwear for monitoring health condition of foot of a user,
the footwear comprising: one or more image capturing devices placed
at predefined locations in the footwear to capture one or more
images of the foot of the user, when the user is wearing the
footwear; and a control unit configured to: receive the one or more
images from the one or more image capturing devices; compare the
one or more captured images with one or more pre-stored images to
identify one or more differences between the one or more captured
images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or
more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user;
detect health condition of the foot of the user based on the one or
more differences; and provide a notification about the health
condition of the foot to a computing device associated with at
least one of the user and one or more care providers of the
user.
2. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the one or
more image capturing devices comprises a light source for
illuminating the foot.
3. The footwear as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a
transparent layer, wherein the transparent layer separates the foot
of the user and each of the one or more image capturing
devices.
4. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the one or
more image capturing devices captures the image of the foot at one
or more predefined time intervals.
5. The footwear as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a pressure
sensor to: detect presence of the foot of the user in the footwear;
and transmit a control signal to the control unit upon detecting
the presence of the foot of the user in the footwear.
6. The footwear as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit
actuates each of the one or more image capturing devices and the
light source upon receiving the control signal from the pressure
sensor.
7. The footwear as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a
communication unit, to transmit the one or more captured images and
the notification to the computing device.
8. The footwear as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a battery
to power the footwear and a charging port to recharge the
battery.
9. The footwear as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a
configuration port to configure the footwear with one or more
configuration parameters.
10. The footwear as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one or more
configuration parameters comprises at least one of the one or more
pre-stored images of the foot of the user, the predefined time
intervals for capturing the image of the foot, information of one
or more care providers and information of the computing device.
11. The footwear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit
improves accuracy of monitoring the foot health based on feedback
received from the user on the notification.
12. The footwear as claimed in claim 1 further comprises a memory
unit for storing the one or more pre-stored images and the one or
more captured images, wherein the memory unit is communicatively
interfaced with the control unit.
13. A method for monitoring health condition of foot of a user, the
method comprising: capturing, by one or more image capturing
devices placed at predefined locations in the footwear, one or more
images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing the
footwear; receiving, by a control unit configured in the footwear,
the one or more images from the one or more image capturing
devices; comparing, by the control unit, the one or more captured
images with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or more
differences between the one or more captured images and the one or
more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored images
are the images of healthy foot of the user; detecting, by the
control unit, health condition of the foot based on the one or more
differences; and providing, by the control unit, a notification
about the health condition to a computing device associated with at
least one of the user and one or more care providers of the
user.
14. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprises
illuminating the foot using a light source configured in each of
the one or more image capturing devices.
15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the one or more the
images of the foot are captured by the one or more image capturing
devices at one or more predefined time intervals.
16. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprises performing
at least one of: detecting, by a pressure sensor configured in the
footwear, presence of the foot of the user in the footwear; and
transmitting, by the pressure sensor, a control signal to the
control unit upon detecting the presence of the foot of the user in
the footwear.
17. The method as claimed in claim 16 further comprises actuating,
by the control unit, each of the one or more image capturing
devices and the light source upon receiving the control signal from
the pressure sensor.
18. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprises configuring
the footwear with one or more configuration parameters using a
configuration port in the footwear.
19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the one or more
configuration parameters comprises at least one of the one or more
pre-stored images of the foot of the user, the predefined time
intervals for capturing the image of the foot, information of one
or more care providers and information of the computing device.
20. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprises
transmitting the one or more captured images and the notification
to the computing device using a communication unit configured in
the footwear.
21. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprises storing the
one or more pre-stored images and the one or more captured images
in a memory unit, wherein the memory unit is communicatively
interfaced with the control unit.
22. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprises improving
accuracy of monitoring the health condition of the foot based on
feedback received from the user on the notification.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter is related, in general to
monitoring foot conditions, and more particularly, but not
exclusively to a footwear and a method for monitoring health
condition of foot of a user when the user is wearing the
footwear.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Diseases of the foot are generally not limited to the foot
itself, instead they manifest elsewhere in the body of the person.
Some of the foot diseases may be present with just a mild ache, but
few other foot diseases can be very severe and may even limit the
person's ability to walk or bear body weight. In most of the cases,
home care treatments are sufficient for minor foot diseases except
when a severe pain is present as a disabling condition and usually
needs some type of medical attention.
[0003] However, there are a numerous foot diseases which are not
easily identified and get into a critical condition due to lack of
right treatment at the right time. An example of such a foot
disease is diabetic foot ulcer. Diabetes patients often suffer from
diabetic neuropathy which causes numbness and loss of sensation in
the toes, feet, legs and palms of the patients. And, as a result,
the injury in the foot goes unnoticed and eventually becomes a
portal for entry of bacteria and infection. Identifying such foot
ulcers at their initial stage helps to avail the right treatment at
the right time.
[0004] Another example of such a foot disease is `Gout`, which is a
kind of arthritis which can cause an attack of sudden burning pain,
stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe. The most
common sign of gout is a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness,
redness, and sharp pain in the big toe. The monitoring of foot to
identify the deformations/inflammations due to gout helps in
availing the right treatment at the right time. Similar principles
can be applied to Rheumatoid arthritis and other progressive,
degenerative foot diseases.
[0005] The existing arts disclose one or more special apparatus for
capturing the images of the foot of the patient to detect the
diseases/disorders in the foot. However, the existing arts do not
continuously monitor the foot and the progress of the diseases in
the foot. Continuous monitoring of the foot is necessary for an
early detection and treatment of the diseases/disorders of the
foot. Also, the existing arts demand additional efforts from the
patients in monitoring/detecting the diseases in the foot, thereby
causing inconvenience to the patients. Hence, there is a need for a
means which can continuously monitor the foot of the patients
without causing any inconvenience to the patients.
[0006] The issues mainly faced in monitoring health condition of
the foot of a user are capturing the images of the foot of the user
and continuously monitoring the condition of the foot for timely
detection of foot diseases and providing a notification about the
detection of the foot disease in real time.
SUMMARY
[0007] Disclosed herein is footwear for monitoring health condition
of foot of a user. The footwear is designed to address the one or
more foot diseases and/or problems in the foot of the user at an
early stage. The footwear would periodically capture images of the
foot and compare the captured images with historic images of the
foot to detect one or more diseases in the foot. The footwear would
also notify the users and/or care providers of the users whenever
it detects a visually identifiable disease in the foot.
[0008] Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to footwear for
monitoring health condition of foot of a user. The footwear
comprises one or more image capturing devices and a control unit.
The one or more image capturing devices are placed at predefined
locations in the footwear to capture one or more images of the foot
of the user, when the user is wearing the footwear. The control
unit is configured to receive the one or more images from the one
or more image capturing devices. The control unit compares the one
or more captured images with one or more pre-stored images to
identify one or more differences between the one or more captured
images and the one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or
more pre-stored images are the images of healthy foot of the user.
Upon comparing the images, the control unit detects health
condition of the foot of the user based on the one or more
differences in the comparison. Further, the control unit provides a
notification about the health condition of the foot to a computing
device associated with at least one of the user and one or more
care providers of the user.
[0009] Further, the present disclosure relates to a method for
monitoring health condition of foot of a user. The method comprises
capturing one or more images of the foot of the user by one or more
image capturing devices placed at predefined locations in the
footwear. The one or more images are captured when the user is
wearing the footwear. The one or more images are received from the
one or more image capturing devices by a control unit configured in
the footwear. The one or more captured images are compared, by the
control unit, with one or more pre-stored images to identify one or
more differences between the one or more captured images and the
one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored
images are the images of healthy foot of the user. The health
condition of the foot of the user is detected based on the
comparison. Further, a notification is provided to a computing
device associated with at least one of the user and one or more
care providers of the user, wherein the notification is about the
health condition of the foot of the user.
[0010] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not
intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative
aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further
aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by
reference to the drawings and the following detailed
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary
embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain
the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of
a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference
number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the
figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments
of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the
present subject matter are now described, by way of example only,
and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a detailed block diagram illustrating footwear
for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance
with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computing device
associated with the user and/or one or more care providers of the
user in accordance with some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0014] FIGS. 3a and 3b show exemplary representations of the
footwear in accordance with some embodiments of the present
disclosure; and
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for
monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with
some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0016] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of
illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present
subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow
charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and
the like represent various processes which may be substantially
represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer
or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is
explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein
to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any
embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter
described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed
as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
[0018] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications
and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown
by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail
below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to
limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the
contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications,
equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the
scope of the disclosure.
[0019] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations
thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that
a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components or
steps does not include only those components or steps but may
include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent
to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more
elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by "comprises . . . a"
does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other
elements or additional elements in the system or method.
[0020] The present disclosure relates to footwear for monitoring
health condition of foot of a user. The footwear comprises one or
more image capturing devices and a control unit. The one or more
image capturing devices are placed at predefined locations in the
footwear to capture one or more images of the foot of the user,
when the user is wearing the footwear. The control unit is
configured to receive the one or more images from the one or more
image capturing devices. The control unit compares the one or more
captured images with one or more pre-stored images to identify one
or more differences between the one or more captured images and the
one or more pre-stored images, wherein the one or more pre-stored
images are the images of healthy foot of the user. Upon comparing
the images, the control unit detects health condition of the foot
of the user based on the one or more differences. Further, the
control unit provides a notification about the health condition of
the foot of the user to a computing device associated with at least
one of the user and one or more care providers of the user.
[0021] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of
the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that
form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration
specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced.
These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable
those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to
be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that
changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be
taken in a limiting sense.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a detailed block diagram illustrating footwear
for monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance
with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0023] In an implementation, as shown in FIG. 3a, the footwear 101
comprises one or more image capturing devices 103, a communication
unit 107, a control unit 109 and a memory unit 111. In an
embodiment, the footwear 101 shall have all the features of any
usual footwear 101. Additionally, the footwear 101 shall
accommodate all the components described below, for monitoring the
health condition of the foot of the user.
[0024] In an embodiment, the one or more image capturing devices
103 capture one or more images of the foot of the user when the
user is wearing the footwear 101. The one or more image capturing
devices 103 may include, but not limiting to, one or more cameras
103.sub.1 and an image scanner 103.sub.2. The one or more cameras
103.sub.1 are placed inside the footwear 101 at one or more
predefined location as shown in FIG. 3a to capture one or more
images of the foot. Alternatively, the image scanner 103.sub.2 may
be placed and configured in such a way that, the image scanner
103.sub.2 moves below the foot of the user, thereby capturing one
or more images of the foot. In an embodiment, there may be a
transparent and/or translucent layer between the one or more image
capturing devices 103 and the foot of the user. The transparent
and/or translucent layer (not shown in FIGS.) placed in the
footwear 101 separates the one or more image capturing devices 103
from the foot of the user when the user is wearing the footwear
101, thereby enabling the one or more image capturing devices 103
to capture one or more images of the foot.
[0025] The light source 105 (shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b) illuminates
the foot of the user for enabling the one or more image capturing
devices 103 to capture a clear and bright image of the foot. In an
embodiment, the light source 105 may include, without limiting to,
a Light Emitting Diode (LED) flash light or a flashcube that may be
placed inside the footwear 101. The light source 105 may be
synchronized with the one or more image capturing devices 103 for
illuminating the footwear 101 only when the one or more image
capturing devices 103 are actuated. In an embodiment, the light
source 105 may continuously illuminate the inside portion of the
footwear 101. Alternatively, the light source 105 may also
illuminate the inside portion of the footwear 101 periodically, for
a predetermined time interval. As an example, the predetermined
time interval for illuminating the inside portion of the footwear
101 may be 5 seconds, 10 seconds and etc. In another embodiment,
the light source 105 may illuminate the inside portion of the
footwear 101 only when the user is wearing the footwear 101,
thereby reducing the power consumption.
[0026] The communication unit 107 may be configured in the footwear
101 to enable the footwear 101 or the control unit 109 in the
footwear 101 to communicate/connect to the computing device 201
associated with the user and/or the one or more care providers of
the user. In an embodiment, the communication unit 107 may include,
without limitation, the one or more wireless/air communication
interfaces 209 such as, Wireless Local Area Network (LAN),
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The communication unit 107 may be used to
transfer the one or more captured images 125 and one or more
notifications to the computing device 201.
[0027] In an embodiment, the control unit 109 is configured to
receive the one or more images from the one or more image capturing
devices 103. The one or more captured images 125 are compared with
one or more pre-stored images 123 to identify one or more
differences between the one or more captured images 125 and the one
or more pre-stored images 123. The control unit 109 detects the
health condition of the foot based on the one or more differences
identified in the comparison. Further, the control unit 109
provides a notification about the health condition to the computing
device 201 associated with the user or the one or more care
providers of the user using the communication unit 107.
[0028] In an embodiment, the control unit 109 may include, but not
limited to, a receiving module 113, a transmitting module 115, a
pressure sensing module 117, a sensory module 119 and one or more
other modules 121. In an embodiment, the other modules 121 may be
used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the
control unit 109 in the footwear 101. It will be appreciated that
such aforementioned modules may be represented as a single module
or a combination of different modules.
[0029] In an embodiment, the receiving module 113 may be configured
to receive one or more inputs, signals and configuration settings
from the computing device 201 through the communication unit 107.
The configuration settings may include, without limitation,
information about the computing device 201, and information about
the user and/or one or more care providers of the user.
[0030] In an embodiment, the transmitting module 115 may be
configured to transmit one or more data and signals to the one or
more modules in the footwear 101. The transmitting module 115 may
also transmit one or more images captured by the one or more image
capturing device 103 to the computing device 201 using the
communication unit 107.
[0031] In an embodiment, the pressure sensing module 117 may be
placed at one or more predefined locations inside the footwear 101
to sense the presence of the foot of the user in the footwear 101.
The pressure sensing module 117 is communicatively coupled to the
control unit 109 and is responsible for actuating the one or more
modules in the footwear 101. As an example, the pressure sensing
module 117 may transmit a control signal to the control unit 109 to
actuate each of the one or more image capturing devices 103 and the
light source 105 upon detecting the presence of the foot in the
footwear 101. In an embodiment, the pressure sensing module 117 may
also measure the amount of pressure applied by body of the user on
the foot and/or the pressure applied by the foot on the footwear
101 and captures the foot movement pattern.
[0032] In an embodiment, the sensory module 119 comprises a Photo
plethysmography (PPG) sensor 119.sub.1, an accelerometer 119.sub.2
and a gyroscope 119.sub.3 as shown in FIG. 3b. In an embodiment,
the PPG sensors 119.sub.1 are placed inside the footwear 101, such
that the PPG sensor 119.sub.1 touches/clamps to the toe of the
user. The PPG sensor 119.sub.1 is used for optical detection of
blood volume changes in the micro-vascular bed of tissue of the
user. The PPG sensor 119.sub.1 may further comprise a light source
and a detector, with infrared (IR) LEDs. The PPG sensor 119.sub.1
monitors changes in the light intensity via reflection from or
transmission through the tissues of the user. The changes in light
intensity are associated with small variations in blood perfusion
of the tissue and provide information on the cardiovascular system,
in particular, the pulse rate of the user. The PPG sensors
119.sub.1 are used in the footwear 101 due to their simplified
working and their usefulness in monitoring the overall health
condition of the user.
[0033] The accelerometer 119.sub.2 may be configured on a
predefined location in the footwear 101 for measuring the
acceleration of the foot of the user. In an embodiment, the
accelerometer 119.sub.2 may also be used to measure/calculate the
speed of walking and/or running of the user and to detect
abnormalities, if any. In another embodiment, the accelerometer
119.sub.2 can be used to activate the system based on the movement
detection.
[0034] The gyroscope 119.sub.3 may be configured on a predefined
location in the footwear 101 for measuring the angular velocity of
the foot of the user. In an embodiment, the gyroscope 119.sub.3 may
also be used to detect and monitor vibrations of the foot inside
the footwear 101.
[0035] In an embodiment, the sensory module 119 is used to measure
current pressure, foot movement pattern and analyze them with
historic data available in the memory and determines the quality of
walking pattern. The sensory module 119 may also collect and
measure heart rate data of the user with the historic data in the
memory and provides a comparison analysis for the user. The heart
rate data may also be used to detect Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
and thereby, stress or fatigue levels of the user.
[0036] The memory unit 111 stores one or more pre-stored images
123, one or more captured images 125 of the foot, one or more
configuration parameters 127 and other data 129.
[0037] In one embodiment, the data may be stored in the memory unit
111 in the form of various data structures. Additionally, the
aforementioned data can be organized using data models, such as
relational or hierarchical data models. The other data 129 may
store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated
by modules for performing the various functions of control unit 109
in the footwear 101.
[0038] In an embodiment, the captured images 125 are the one or
more images captured from the one or more image capturing devices
103. The one or more image capturing devices 103 capture the one or
more images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing the
footwear 101. The light source 105 configured in the footwear 101
illuminates the foot of the user for capturing clear and bright
images of the foot. In an embodiment, the one or more image
capturing devices 103 may capture the one or more images of the
foot at predetermined time intervals. As an example, the
predetermined time interval for capturing the new image of the foot
may be 30 minutes.
[0039] In an embodiment, the pre-stored images 123 are the one or
more images of the foot of the user which are captured when the
foot of the user is in a healthy condition or shall act as a
reference image, if the foot of the user is already damaged. The
one or more captured images 125 are compared with the pre-stored
images 123 to detect one or more disorders and/or variations in the
foot. In another embodiment, the one or more pre-stored images 123
may be stored in the storage unit 205 of the computing device 201.
In such a scenario, the control unit 109 transmits the one or more
captured images 125 to the computing device 201 through the
communication unit 107. Further, the processor 203 of the computing
device 201 performs the comparison of the one or more captured
images 125 with the pre-stored images 123 to detect one or more
disorders in the foot. In an alternate embodiment, the computing
device 201 can be part of the footwear 101.
[0040] In an embodiment, the one or more configuration parameters
127 are used to configure the footwear 101 as per the requirements
of the user of the footwear 101. The user may configure the
footwear 101 using a configuration port 131 in the footwear 101.
The one or more configuration parameters 127 may include, but not
limited to, one or more pre-stored images 123 of the foot,
information of one or more care providers of the user, information
of the computing device 201 and the predetermined intervals for
capturing the images.
[0041] In an embodiment, the configuration port 131 is used to
configure the footwear 101 with one or more configuration
parameters 127 listed hereinabove. The configuration port 131 may
also be used for configuring the communication unit 107 in the
footwear 101. In an embodiment, the configuration port 131 may be a
generic Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, which is also capable of
charging a battery 133 in the footwear 101.
[0042] In an embodiment, the battery 133 may be used to power one
or more image capturing devices 103, the light source 105 and the
one or more modules in the control unit 109. The battery 133 may be
rechargeable and/or replaceable when it is discharged
completely.
[0043] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computing device
associated with the user and/or one or more care providers of the
user in accordance with some embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0044] The computing device 201 associated with the user and/or the
one or more care providers of the user may include, without
limitation, a smart phone, a tablet phone, a Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA) device, a laptop and a personal computer (PC). In
an implementation, the computing device 201 comprises a processor
203, a storage unit 205, I/O interface 207 and a communication
interface 209. The computing device 201 is communicatively
associated to the footwear 101 and shall be capable of receiving
one or more captured images 125 of the foot through the
communication unit 107. The computing device 201 may also receive
one or more notifications about the health condition of the foot of
the user from the footwear 101.
[0045] In an embodiment, the processor 203 of the computing device
201 is capable of performing each of the functions performed by the
control unit 109 in the footwear 101. The processor 203 may be
connected with one or more input/output (I/O) devices via the I/O
interface 207 for displaying the one or more captured images 125 to
the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user.
[0046] In an embodiment, the storage unit 205 may store one or more
pre-stored images 123 of the foot of the user. In another
embodiment, the storage unit 205 of the computing device 201 may
include, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives,
etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced
Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE),
IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fibre channel, Small
Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) and the similar. The storage unit
205 may also store a collection of program or database components,
including, without limitation, a User Interface (UI) application
and an operating system.
[0047] In an embodiment, the I/O interface 207 may be used to
display the one or more captured images 125, the pre-stored images
123 and the received notifications to the user and/or the one or
more care providers of the user. The I/O interface 207 may employ
communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio,
analog, digital, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial
Bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite,
Digital Visual Interface (DVI) and high-definition multimedia
interface (HDMI).
[0048] In an embodiment, the communication interface 209 configured
in the computing device 201 is capable of connecting to the
communication unit 107 of the footwear 101 to receive and/or
transmit the one or more captured images 125, the pre-stored images
123 and the notifications to the footwear 101. In an embodiment,
the communication interface 209 may also be used to configure the
footwear 101 before it is used by the user.
[0049] FIG. 3b shows exemplary representation of the footwear in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0050] The pressure sensing module 117 configured in the footwear
101 measures the amount of pressure applied on the footwear 101.
The pressure sensing module 117 transmits a control signal to the
control unit 109 upon detecting the presence of the user's foot in
the footwear 101. The control unit 109, in response to the control
signal from the pressure sensing module 117, actuates the one or
more image capturing devices 103, the light source 105 and each of
the modules in the footwear 101. The one or more image capturing
devices 103 (plurality of cameras 103.sub.1 and an image scanner
103.sub.2 are shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b) capture the one or more
images of the foot of the user upon actuation from the control unit
109 at predetermined time intervals. The light source 105 (not
shown in figure) configured in the footwear 101 illuminates the
foot of the user in order to capture a clear and bright image of
the foot. In an embodiment, a transparent and/or translucent layer
in the footwear 101 separates the one or more image capturing
devices 103 and the light source 105 from the foot of the user when
the user is wearing the footwear 101.
[0051] In an embodiment, the control unit 109 compares the one or
more captured images 125 with one or more pre-stored images 123 to
identify one or more differences between the one or more captured
images 125 and the one or more pre-stored images 123. The one or
more pre-stored images 123 are the images of the healthy foot of
the user. The control unit 109 further detects the health condition
of the foot of the user based on the one or more differences
identified during the comparison. The detected health condition of
the foot is notified to the computing device 201 associated with
the user and/or the one or more care providers of the user through
the communication unit 107. The user and/or the one or more care
providers of the user may take necessary medical treatments if
there are any disorders/diseases in the foot.
[0052] In another embodiment, upon capturing the one or more images
of the foot, the one or more captured images 125 may be transmitted
to the computing device 201 through the communication unit 107
configured in the footwear 101. The computing device 201 compares
each of the one or more captured images 125 with the pre-stored
images 123 of the healthy foot of the user to identify one or more
diseases in the one or more captured images 125.
[0053] In an embodiment, the sensory module 119 configured in the
footwear 101 measure one or more other health parameters related to
the user. The PPG sensor 119.sub.1 configured in the footwear 101
measures the heart rate and level of oxygen in the blood of the
user. The accelerometer 119.sub.2 measures the acceleration of the
foot of the user. The gyroscope 119.sub.3 measures the angular
velocity of the foot of the user. The one or more health parameter
data, measured by each of the sensory module 119 may be transmitted
to the computing device 201 to notify the user and/or the one or
more care providers of the user about the measured health parameter
data.
[0054] In an embodiment, the user and/or the one or more care
providers of the user may provide one or more feedback to the
notification received from the footwear 101. The control unit 109
configured in the footwear 101 improves accuracy of monitoring the
foot health based on the one or more feedback received from the
user on the notification. The quality of the notification is
identified by using the explicit feedback from the user and the
same is captured onto a self-learning component in the control unit
109 of the footwear 101. For each notification with poor feedbacks,
the self-learning component identifies a key root cause for the
wrong analysis and compares the notifications made at different
stages of monitoring. Accordingly, the self-learning component
improves the quality of the notifications provided to the
users.
[0055] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for
monitoring health condition of foot of a user in accordance with
some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0056] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the method 400 comprises one or
more blocks for monitoring the health condition of foot of the
user, when the user is wearing the footwear 101. The method 400 may
be described in the general context of computer executable
instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can
include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures,
procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular
functions or implement particular abstract data types.
[0057] The order in which the method 400 is described is not
intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the
described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement
the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the
methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject
matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented
in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination
thereof.
[0058] At block 401, the footwear 101 is configured with one or
more configuration parameters 127. The one or more configuration
parameters 127 comprises at least one of the one or more pre-stored
images 123 of the foot of the user, the predefined time intervals
for capturing the image of the foot, information of one or more
care providers and information of the computing device 201. The
configuration of the footwear 101 may be achieved through a
configuration port 131 in the footwear 101.
[0059] At block 403, one or more image capturing devices 103 placed
at predefined locations in the footwear 101 capture the one or more
images of the foot of the user when the user is wearing the
footwear 101. The one or more image capturing devices 103 are
actuated by the control unit 109 when the control unit 109 receives
a control signal from the pressure sensing module 117. The pressure
sensing module 117 sends the control signal to the control unit 109
upon detecting the presence of user's foot in the footwear 101. The
light source 105 in the footwear 101 illuminates the foot of the
user for enabling the one or more image capturing devices 103 to
capture clear picture of the foot.
[0060] At block 405, the control unit 109 configured in the
footwear 101 receives the one or more captured images 125 from the
one or more image capturing devices 103. The one or more image
capturing devices 103 is configured to capture the image of the
foot at one or more predefined time intervals. Further, the
footwear 101 also comprises a transparent layer, wherein the
transparent layer separates the foot of the user and each of the
one or more image capturing devices 103.
[0061] At block 407, the control unit 109 configured in the
footwear 101 compares the one or more captured images 125 with one
or more pre-stored images 123 to identify one or more differences
between the one or more captured images 125 and the one or more
pre-stored images 123, wherein the one or more pre-stored images
123 are the images of healthy foot of the user.
[0062] At block 409, the control unit 109 configured in the
footwear 101 detects health condition of the foot of the user based
on the one or more differences. The health condition of the foot of
the user may also be determined with the help of one or more health
parameter data obtained by the sensory module 119.
[0063] At block 411, the control unit 109 provides a notification
about the health condition of the foot to a computing device 201
associated with at least one of the user and one or more care
providers of the user. The footwear 101 and the computing device
201 are connected through the communication unit 107. The
communication unit 107 may also transmit the one or more captured
images 125 to the computing device 201.
Advantages of the Embodiment of the Present Disclosure are
Illustrated Herein.
[0064] In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method
and footwear for monitoring health condition of the foot of a
user.
[0065] In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method
for providing a real time notification about the health condition
of the foot of the user to the user and/or one or more care
providers of the user.
[0066] In an embodiment, the footwear disclosed in the present
disclosure comprises one or more sensory modules for
detecting/measuring one or more critical health parameters of the
user.
[0067] In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a
convenient method of monitoring the foot health of the user
requiring no/minimum efforts and/or intervention of the user.
[0068] The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the
embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some
embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all)
embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified
otherwise.
[0069] The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and variations
thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly
specified otherwise.
[0070] The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or
all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified
otherwise.
[0071] The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless
expressly specified otherwise.
[0072] A description of an embodiment with several components in
communication with each other does not imply that all such
components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional
components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible
embodiments of the invention.
[0073] When a single device or article is described herein, it will
be readily apparent that more than one device/article (whether or
not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single
device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is
described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be
readily apparent that a single device/article may be used in place
of the more than one device or article or a different number of
devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices
or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may
be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are
not explicitly described as having such functionality/features.
Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the
device itself.
[0074] Finally, the language used in the specification has been
principally selected for readability and instructional purposes,
and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the
inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope
of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but
rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on.
Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended
to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the
invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
[0075] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed
herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those
skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed
herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be
limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the
following claims.
REFERRAL NUMERALS
TABLE-US-00001 [0076] Reference Number Description 101 Footwear 103
Image capturing devices 105 Light source 107 Communication unit 109
Control unit 111 Memory unit 113 Receiving module 115 Transmitting
module 117 Pressure sensing module 119 Sensory module 121 Other
modules 123 Pre-stored images 125 Captured images 127 Configuration
parameters 129 Other data 131 Configuration port 133 Battery 201
Computing device 203 Processor 205 Storage unit 207 I/O Interface
209 Communication interface
* * * * *