Device for mitigation of personal injuries due to falls

US12346075B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Lankenau Institute for Medical Research · US

Inventors

• Barbara Wadsworth · Blue Bell, US
• George C. Prendergast · Narberth, US
• Barbara Merle Gilmore · Wynnebrook Manor, US
• Aidan Hyde · Newton, US
• Andrew Mazzotta · Philadelphia, US
• Dylan J. Paproski · Littleton, US
• Christopher Scholl · Murrieta, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 27, 2022
• Grant date: Jul 1, 2025
• Expiry date: Aug 31, 2043

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G08B21/0469
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A personal injury mitigation device for sensing a fall condition and responsively deploying a protective device in bathrooms or other elevated-risk spatial environments. A fall sensing system of the device includes a sensor and an analysis module that processes a signal from the sensor to determine whether a fall condition exists, and if so, transmits a trigger signal to a deployment system. The deployment system includes a stored energy system and an actuation system operable to release stored energy in response to receipt of the trigger signal. An impact mitigation device receives the released energy from the deployment system, which causes deployment of a protective device (such as an airbag) from a housing in which the protective device is stored in a compact state. In the deployed state, the protective device is operable to protect a person against injury due to impact resulting from a fall.