`Gesink et al.
`
`[19]
`
`[54]
`
`[75]
`
`LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT AID FOR A
`SEVERELY VISUALLY IMPAIRED
`INDIVIDUAL
`
`Inventors: John Gesink, Kalamazoo; David Guth,
`Portage; Bernard Fehr, Okemos, all of
`Mich.
`
`Assignee: Board of Trustees of Western
`Michigan University, Kalamzoo, Mich.
`
`Appl. No.: 837,660
`Apr. 22, 1997
`Filed:
`
`Int. Cl.6 ................................................... .. G08B 13/00
`US. Cl. .......................... .. 434/112; 434/116; 704/271
`Field of Search ................................... .. 434/112, 116;
`135/72; 704/271, 270; 367/116, 107
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,212,116
`4,870,687
`4,906,193
`5,032,083
`5,032,836
`5,097,856
`5,120,228
`5,144,294
`5,409,380
`5,470,233
`5,487,669
`5,508,699
`
`7/1980
`9/1989
`3/1990
`7/1991
`7/1991
`3/1992
`6/1992
`9/1992
`4/1995
`11/1995
`1/1996
`4/1996
`
`Hajduch .
`
`DeLeon ................................. .. 367/116
`McMullen et a1. .
`
`Friedman .
`
`Ono et a1. .
`
`Sheng ...................................... .. 135/72
`Stahl et a1. .
`AlonZi et a1. .
`Balbuena et a1. .
`Fructerman et a1. .
`
`Kelk ...................................... .. 434/112
`
`Silverman .
`
`USOOS 80374OA
`Patent Number:
`Date of Patent:
`
`[11]
`[45]
`
`5,803,740
`Sep. 8, 1998
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Goldish, A Hand—Held Inertial Navigation Aid For The
`Blind Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Apr.
`1965.
`LaDuke, The Veering Tendency of Blind Pedestrians: An
`Analysis of the Problem and Literature Review, Sep—Oct,
`1994, pp. 391—400.
`Cratty, Movement And Spatial Awareness In Blind Children
`and Youth, 1971, pp. 65—80.
`
`Primary Examiner—Richard J. Apley
`Assistant Examiner—Glenn Richman
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Flynn, Thiel, Boutell & Tanis,
`PC.
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A learning and assessment aid (10) for helping visually
`impaired individuals develop desirable ambulatory motion
`habits. The learning aid includes a housing (14) designed to
`be attached to an article of clothing Worn by the individual.
`Internal to the housing is an inertial transducer (16) that
`monitors the rotation of the housing and the individual. The
`individual enters commands to the learning aid through a
`keypad (20) in response to audible instructions generated
`over a speaker (22). To foster desirable turning motions, the
`learning aid informs of the extent to Which the individual
`turns. To foster straight-line Walking, the learning aid gen
`erates a message over the speaker Whenever the individual
`rotates more than a pre-set individual-entered maximum
`veer.
`
`25 Claims, 13 Drawing Sheets
`
`FITBIT, INC. v. LOGANTREE LP
`Ex. 1013 / Page 1 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 8,1998
`Sep. 8,1998
`
`Sheet 1 0f 13
`Sheet 1 of 13
`
`5,803,740
`5,803,740
`
`Ex. 1013/ Page 2 of 25
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 2 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 8,1998
`Sep. 8,1998
`
`Sheet 2 0f 13
`Sheet 2 of 13
`
`5,803,740
`5,803,740
`
`FIG
`
`20
`
`Ex. 1013/ Page 3 of 25
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 3 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 8,1998
`Sep. 8,1998
`
`Sheet 3 0f 13
`Sheet 3 of 13
`
`5,803,740
`5,803,740
`
`44
`
`[i0
`
`45
`
`42
`
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`
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`
`48
`
`L 52
`
`F|G.3
`
`Ex. 1013/ Page 4 of 25
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 4 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 8,1998
`Sep. 8,1998
`
`Sheet 4 0f 13
`Sheet 4 of 13
`
`5,803,740
`5,803,740
`
`F | G. 4
`F|G.4
`
`_____.
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`
`53 /
`
`58~/~@
`
`Ex. 1013/ Page 5 of 25
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 5 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 8,1998
`Sep. 8,1998
`
`Sheet 5 0f 13
`Sheet 5 of 13
`
`5,803,740
`5,803,740
`
`F|G.5
`F|G.5
`
`FIG.5A
`F|G.5A
`
`FIG.5B
`F|G.5B
`
`Ex. 1013/ Page 6 of 25
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 6 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 8,1998
`
`Sheet 6 of 13
`
`5,803,740
`
`
`
` VOLTAGE
`LBO
`REGULATOR SHDN
`
`
`72
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`84
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`
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`
`Ex. 1013/ Page 7 of 25
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 7 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 8,1998
`
`Sheet 7 0f 13
`
`5,803,740
`
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`28
`
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`
`F I G. 58
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 8 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. s, 1998
`
`Sheet 8 0f 13
`
`5,803,740
`
`F|G.6
`
`FIG.6A
`
`FIG.6B
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 9 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. s, 1998
`
`Sheet 9 0f 13
`
`5,803,740
`
`ACTIVATE
`AID
`
`L
`
`GENERATE
`WELCOME MSG
`134 M32
`
`sUé
`BATTERY LOW GENERATE LOW
`CHECK
`BATTERY MSG
`
`[38
`
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`SELECT
`
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`
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`
`143
`f
`
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`
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`REQUEST &
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`MAX VEER
`
`fléo
`
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`INSTRUCTIONS
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`
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`RDY CMND
`
`655 [146
`
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`RECEIVE
`TEST
`DUR
`
`ENTER
`RDY CMND
`
`FIG.6A
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 10 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. s, 1998
`
`Sheet 10 0f 13
`
`5,803,740
`
`@
`
`GEN STRT SGNL
`CLR RGSTRS
`GYRO ON
`T
`MONITOR
`ROTATION
`
`ENTER
`STOP CMND
`———-¢
`GEN RSLTS
`GYRO OFF
`
`$9
`
`GEN STRT SGNL
`CLR RGSTRS
`GYRO ON
`
`7
`
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`
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`
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`
`I76
`
`178 7
`
`GENERATE
`CONGULATORY
`
`17+
`/
`‘
`GENERATE
`VEER DATA
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 11 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep.8,1998
`
`Sheet 11 0f 13
`
`5,803,740
`
`W ' I84
`
`[3W ‘84>
`F
`I 8
`ENTER
`RDY CMND / 8
`J,
`m0
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`
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`
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`USER DATA
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`
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`CNGRDLTRY MSG
`|
`
`__
`
`REPEAT
`TEST
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 12 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep.8,1998
`
`Sheet 12 0f 13
`
`5,803,740
`
`GENERATE
`INSTRUCTIONS
`
`ENTER
`RDY CMND
`
`LZH
`
`GEN STRT SGNL
`CLR REGSTRS
`GYRO ON
`
`\zlz
`
`MONITOR
`VEER & TILT
`
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`
`‘
`STORE &
`DISPLAY DATA
`GYRO OFF
`
`3'4
`
`‘
`GENERATE
`STOP CMND
`FIG.7
`
`U8
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 13 of 25
`
`
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep.8,1998
`
`Sheet 13 0f 13
`
`5,803,740
`
`l E
`
`-OmU:>_
`
`mOmwwuOmm
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 14 of 25
`
`
`
`1
`LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT AID FOR A
`SEVERELY VISUALLY IMPAIRED
`INDIVIDUAL
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`This invention relates to a learning and assessment aid for
`an individual With a severe visual impairment and, more
`particularly, to a learning and assessment aid designed to
`provide information regarding the locomotion of the indi
`vidual that can be used as a guide to foster desirable Walking
`habits.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`An individual Who is blind must use his/her senses to
`accomplish many of the activities of living that sighted
`persons take for granted. TWo such activities related to
`pedestrian travel are those of Walking in a desired direction
`and turning in a desired direction. Sighted individuals easily
`and accurately accomplish these activities on the basis of
`visual guidance. HoWever, many individuals Who are blind
`?nd these tasks dif?cult to accomplish accurately on the
`basis of nonvisual information. Therefore, a component of
`the instruction of a severely visually impaired or blind
`individual can include attempts to teach the individual to
`maintain a straight-line trajectory While Walking and to
`make accurate turns, such as right angle turns one may Wish
`to make at a street corner.
`This instruction requires both a means of assessing an
`individual’s ability to engage in such locomotion and a
`means for improving these abilities. One such learning
`system has the individual attempt to Walk in a straight path
`and then requires the bending of a Wire into the approximate
`shape of the path that the individual actually traversed. The
`individual then feels the Wire to develop an impression of the
`extent his/her locomotion strayed from the straight line path.
`One disadvantage is that it requires a sighted individual to
`accurately judge the Walked path and to then bend the Wire
`accordingly. This method further requires that the visually
`impaired individual be able to relate the small bent Wire to
`his/her earlier Walking trajectory.
`There have also been efforts to teach visually impaired
`individuals hoW to Walk in a straight line by setting up in a
`lane in an open area that is bordered by optical beams.
`Sensors monitor the state of these beams. In the event the
`individual While Walking moves to one side or the other of
`the center of the lane, veering from straight line motion, the
`individual’s legs break one of the optical beams. The broken
`beam is detected by the complementary sensor Which in turn
`generates a signal that causes the assertion of an audio
`alarm. Initially, the beams de?ning the lane may be spaced
`relatively Wide apart. Over time, as the individual’s veer is
`reduced, the distance betWeen the beam is reduced in order
`to further provide guidance for reducing an individual’s
`veer. A disadvantage of this system is that each time the
`lanes are set up, they need to be set up for the particular
`individual With Whom they are to be used. Consequently,
`orientation and mobility instructors Working With the blind
`individual must spend signi?cant amounts of time aligning
`the beams so that they can be used for a particular individual.
`Still another disadvantage of these training systems is that,
`While they are useful for teaching a person to Walk in a
`straight line, they are not Well suited for providing guidance
`for helping a person learn hoW to turn.
`In the past, it has been proposed that persons could learn
`hoW to minimiZe their veer With the aid of an inertial motion
`sensor such a gyroscope. One such gyroscope proposed Was
`
`10
`
`15
`
`25
`
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`
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`
`55
`
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`5,803,740
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`2
`designed to be held by an individual as he/she tries to Walk
`along a straight line path-of-travel. If the individual veers
`right or left from the straight line, a solenoid is energiZed so
`as to cause the extension of a small plunger; the tactile
`sensation of feeling the plunger extend serves as the indi
`cation to the individual that he/she has veered from the
`desired straight line path-of-travel.
`While the previously proposed inertial motion sensor
`training device has shoWn promise as an aid for training the
`blind, its utility is likeWise limited. An individual using this
`device is required to Walk With one of his/her arms in a bent
`position in order to be sure that the device is properly
`oriented and the individual can monitor the extended/
`retracted state of the plungers. Thus, in order to use this
`device the individual is require to Walk in a manner different
`from Which he/she Would normally Walk. Consequently, an
`individual using this device has to concentrate on more than
`just the skills required to Walk in a straight line; the
`individual also has to devote some concentration to the
`muscle control required to properly hold the training device.
`Moreover, it Would be dif?cult to use this device as an aid
`to Walking in a straight line With a cane since the individual
`Would have to perform tWo different, uncoordinated move
`ments With his/her arms. Also, the previously proposed
`gyroscopic training device only provides an indication of
`veer once an individual’s movement exceeds a given angle.
`Still other limitations of the knoWn inertial sensor learning
`aid is that it does not provide an indication of the distance
`the individual has traveled and is not particularly useful for
`helping an individual learn hoW to execute turns.
`Moreover, as discussed above, a prerequisite to teaching
`an individual to develop desirable locomotion habits is the
`collection of baseline data about his/her initial locomotion
`habits. This information is used by the instructor to evaluate
`the locomotion habits of the individual so that a training
`regime can be developed as Well to serve as baseline data so
`that progress of the individual can be monitored. While the
`prior art learning aids are useful for helping an individual
`develop desirable locomotion habits, only With great dif?
`culty can they be used to facilitate the collection of data
`about the individual requiring such training.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`This invention relates generally to a neW and useful
`learning and assessment aid useful for helping an individual
`With a severe visual impairment develop appropriate loco
`motion habits. The learning and assessment aid is useful for
`collecting data regarding locomotion habits. The learning
`and assessment aid also provides a visually impaired indi
`vidual With indications regarding his/her ability to both Walk
`in a straight line and to execute turns. More particularly, this
`invention relates generally to a learning and assessment aid
`that includes one or more inertial movement sensors that, at
`a minimum, provide an indication of the extent to Which a
`person rotates his/her orientation from an initial heading. In
`one preferred version of this invention, a tWo-gimbal gyro
`scope is employed as the inertial movement sensor.
`The learning and assessment aid of this invention is
`further designed so that the gyroscope or other sensor is
`contained in a small housing. The housing is provided With
`a pivoting clasp that alloWs the housing to be af?xed to an
`article of clothing Worn by an individual so as to ensure the
`proper orientation of the sensor. The output signals produced
`by the sensor are applied to a digital signal processing unit.
`Based on the movement of the gyroscope, the digital signal
`processing unit determines the extent to Which the housing
`
`Ex. 1013 / Page 15 of 25
`
`
`
`3
`has changed position. This measurement is used as the basis
`for providing an indication of the extent the individual
`Wearing the learning and assessment aid has rotated from
`his/her initial position. The learning and assessment aid also
`has an alphanumeric display and a speech generator. The
`digital signal processing unit causes audio announcements to
`be generated that both instruct the individual hoW to set the
`device and that provide an indication of Whether or not the
`individual has completed his/her intended movement.
`The learning and assessment aid of this invention is
`further con?gured to provide an indication of the total
`distance traversed by the individual. In some versions of this
`invention, this measurement is a time based-measurement
`that relates the time of use of the aid and the individual’s rate
`of travel to the distance traveled.
`When there is a need to collect data about the locomotion
`habits of an individual, the aid is placed in the data collection
`mode. The aid generates a set of audible instructions direct
`ing the individual to Walk in a certain pattern, i.e., straight
`line or turn. The aid then collects data regarding the move
`ment for a select period of time. Once the aid stops
`collecting data, the aid generates an audible command
`instructing the individual to stop moving. The data collected
`is then available to the instructor Working With the indi
`vidual.
`When the learning and assessment aid of this invention is
`used as a tool to foster straight-line movement, the indi
`vidual can indicate the speci?c degree of veer that is alloWed
`before a Warning tone is generated. The individual can also
`input an indication of the distance of travel over Which the
`veer should be measured. The learning and assessment aid of
`this invention can also be used as a tool to foster turning
`movement. Speci?cally, the individual can provide an indi
`cation that he/she Wants to practice turning. Then, once the
`individual completes a turn, the learning and assessment aid
`Will generate a message that provides an indication of the
`extent of the turn.
`Since this learning and assessment aid is Worn on the
`body, once the instructions regarding the individual’s
`intended movement are entered, the individual can essen
`tially ignore the presence of the aid. This alloWs the indi
`vidual to focus his/her attention on the more important task
`at hand, executing the intended ambulatory movement.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`This invention is pointed out With particularity in the
`claims. The above and further advantages of this invention
`may be better understood by referring to the folloWing
`description taken in conjunction With the accompanying
`draWings in Which:
`FIG. 1 is a perspective vieW illustrating the inertial
`movement sensor learning and assessment aid of this inven
`tion and illustrating hoW the aid is Worn by an individual;
`FIG. 2 is a perspective vieW of the learning and assess
`ment aid;
`FIG. 3 is a cross sectional side vieW of the leveling clasp
`of the learning and assessment aid;
`FIG. 4 is a vieW illustrating the arrangement of the
`components inside the learning and assessment aid;
`FIG. 5 is an assembly draWing illustrating hoW FIGS. 5A
`and 5B are assembled to form a schematic draWing of the
`electrical circuit integral With the learning and assessment
`aid;
`FIG. 6 is an assembly draWing illustrating hoW FIGS. 6A,
`6B and 6C are assembled to form a How chart of the process
`
`5,803,740
`
`4
`steps executed by the learning and assessment aid When it is
`used to foster desirable locomotion habits;
`FIG. 7 is a How chart of the process steps executed by the
`learning and assessment aid of this invention When it is used
`to collect data about the locomotion habits; and
`FIG. 8 is a schematic draWing illustrating an alternative
`transducer arrangement for the learning and assessment aid.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`FIGS. 1—4 illustrate a learning and assessment aid 10 of
`this invention and hoW the aid is Worn by a visually impaired
`individual 12. The learning and assessment aid 10 includes
`a housing 14 in Which the internal components of the
`learning and assessment aid are enclosed. Inside the housing
`14 are a gyroscope 16 and a microprocessor 18. The gyro
`scope 16 functions as an inertial movement sensor that
`produces signals representative of the shifting of the learn
`ing and assessment aid 10, as Well as the individual Wearing
`the learning and assessment aid, from an initial position. The
`microprocessor 18 receives signals based on those produced
`by the gyroscope 16 and, in response, generates output
`signals that provide an indication of the individual’s move
`ment.
`As seen best in FIG. 2, secured to the outside of the
`housing 14 is keypad 20 through Which the individual enters
`commands indicating the type of ambulatory movement
`he/she Would like the aid to be monitoring. The learning and
`assessment aid 10 has a speaker 22 through Which both
`audible instructions to the individual as Well as information
`regarding hoW Well he/she performed a speci?c ambulatory
`task are generated. Also on the outside of the housing 14 is
`a start button 24 Which, as Will be discussed hereinafter, is
`depressed as part of the initial actuation of the learning and
`assessment aid. Avolume control 26 is provided for alloW
`ing the individual to control the audio level of the instruc
`tions and messages generated by the speaker 22. Volume
`control 26 also controls the open-closed state of a main
`on/off sWitch. A display 28 is secured to the top of the
`housing 14. The display 28 is driven by the microprocessor
`18 to generate visual indications of the instructions required
`to operate the learning and assessment aid 10 as Well as
`visual messages regarding hoW Well the individual per
`formed the tasks. ARS-232 data socket 29 is mounted to the
`side of the housing. The socket 29 provides a port that alloWs
`an external digital data processing device, such as a person
`nel computer to exchange signals With the microprocessor
`18.
`The depicted learning and assessment aid 10 is also
`provided With a socket 30 for receiving a jack integral With
`an earphone. A socket 31 is also provided for shorting out a
`set of conductors connected to the microprocessor 18,
`(conductors not illustrated). When reprogramming of the
`microprocessor 18 is desired, a pin is inserted in socket 31
`to establish a connection betWeen the conductors. The
`shorting out of the conductors is recogniZed by micropro
`cessor 18 that it has been placed in a state for reprogram
`ming.
`The learning and assessment aid 10 is typically coupled to
`a belt 32 Worn by the individual 12 using the aid, as seen by
`reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. This belt 32 can be either a belt
`speci?cally provided for the learning and assessment aid or
`a belt that the individual 12 Would normally otherWise be
`Wearing as an article of clothing. The learning and assess
`ment aid 10 is attached to the belt by a leveling clasp 34 that
`is secured to the back side of the housing 14. The leveling
`clasp 34 includes a back plate 36 that is the portion of the
`
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`Ex. 1013 / Page 16 of 25
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`5
`clasp 34 that is actually secured to the back side of the
`housing 14 With the aid of appropriate fasteners 38. A rigid
`outer clasp plate 40 is ?exibly secured at the top end thereof
`to the back plate 36 by a strip of ?exible material 41 such as
`a reinforced fabric or a ?exible plastic strip. A rigid inner
`clasp plate 42 is attached to the top of the inner clasp plate
`40 so as to be approximately in parallel alignment With the
`outer clasp plate 40 and so as to project a small distance
`beloW the bottom edge of the inner clasp plate. The inner
`clasp plate 42 is secured to the outer clasp plate 40 by a set
`of fasteners 43 and Washers 44 so that the clasp plates 40 and
`42 are spaced a slight distance apart from each other. When
`the learning and assessment aid 10 is Worn by the individual
`12, the clasp plates 40 and 42 are ?tted around the belt 32.
`To facilitate a snug ?t, a leaf spring 45 is attached to the
`surface of the outer clasp plate 40 that faces the belt 32. A
`layer of foam 47 is sandWiched betWeen outer clasp plate 40
`and leaf spring 45 to provide resiliency to the leaf spring. A
`small rigid pin formed by a disk of metal 46 and a set of
`fasteners 48 is provided along the bottom edge of the inner
`clasp plate 42. This pin is directed outWardly from the inner
`clasp plate 42. The pin is provided to minimize the possi
`bility the leveling clasp 34 Will inadvertently slip off the
`complementary belt 32 over Which the clasp is ?tted.
`The leveling clasp 34 further includes a leveling plate 52
`that is hingedly secured to the bottom edge of the inner clasp
`plate 40. In the depicted version of the invention, the strip of
`material forming ?exible material 41 extends the length of
`outer clasp plate 40 and connects leveling plate 52 to the
`inner clasp plate. The leveling plate 52 is secured to the
`bottom surface of the housing 14 so as to hold the housing
`in a particular, substantially level, orientation. In the
`depicted version of the invention, the leveling plate 52 and
`the bottom surface of the housing are provided With comple
`mentary strips of fastening tape, 54 and 55, respectively, so
`as to facilitate the proper orientation of the housing. Fas
`tening tape 54 and 55 alloW leveling plate 52 to be selec
`tively positioned relative to the bottom of housing 14. One
`such type of fastening tape that can be used to accomplish
`this task is sold under the trademark VELCRO.
`Housing 14 is provided With a cord 15 that can be ?tted
`around the neck of the individual 12 using the aid. Cord 15
`prevents the learning and assessment aid 10 from inadvert
`ently being dropped.
`The housing 14, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 includes a main
`body 56 With suf?cient depth to hold the gyroscope 16, the
`microprocessor 18 as Well as most of the other components
`of the learning and assessment aid. The main body 56 has an
`open back end that is enclosed by a cover 57. The cover 57
`is the portion of the housing 14 to Which the leveling clasp
`34 is attached. The cover 57 is formed With a compartment
`53 in Which the battery 72 (FIG. 5A) that poWers the
`learning and assessment aid 10 is housed. Threaded
`fasteners, not illustrated, secure the cover 57 to the main
`body 56 of the housing 14. The threaded fasteners extend
`through holes 58 in the cover 57 and are coupled into
`threaded bores 59 formed in posts 60 integral With the main
`body of the housing 14.
`Gyroscope 16, noW discussed With reference to FIG. 4, is
`a tWo axis gyroscopic. One particular gyroscope from Which
`this invention can be constructed is the Model GE9300C
`gyroscope manufactured by Gyration, Inc. of Saratoga,
`Calif. This gyroscope has an outer gimbal and complemen
`tary encoders that are used for measuring heading over a
`360° range. The inner gimbal is pendulous, that is, it
`stabiliZes so as to be gravity aligned. Thus, any small
`deviations in tilting movement of the learning and assess
`ment aid are compensated for by the inner gimbal.
`
`6
`As can be seen in FIG. 4, the gyroscope 16 is itself housed
`in a foam shell 61. More particularly, the foam shell 61
`includes a box-like main body 62 that is shaped to have a
`center void 64 in Which the gyroscope 16 is nested. A
`separate rectangularly shaped piece of foam is ?tted under
`the main body 62 so as to serve as the base 65 of the shell.
`In practice it has been found desirable to dimension the
`overall height of the foam shell 61 so that it is longer in
`height than the space inside the housing 14 in Which it is
`seated. Thus, When the gyroscope 16 and shell 61 are seated
`in the housing, the subassembly is compression secured
`inside the housing.
`TWo circuit boards 66 are mounted in the housing 14 so
`as to be located to one side of the gyroscope 16. The circuit
`boards 66, Which in the depicted version of the invention are
`vertically oriented, support the microprocessor 18 as Well as
`many of the other electrical components integral to the
`learning and assessment aid 10. In the depicted version of
`the invention, the electric components are mounted on the
`circuit boards 66 so that the components face each other. A
`foam layer 68 is compression ?tted betWeen the electrical
`components so as to secure socketed components in the
`circuit board.
`The electrical components not secured to the circuit
`boards 66 are attached to the main body 56 of the housing
`14. The display 28, is, for example, mounted in an opening,
`not identi?ed, in the top of the main body 56. The display
`driver 108, the component that actuates the individual pixels
`of the display 28, is integrally manufactured With the display
`and as such, is suspended from the inside of main body 56.
`Speaker 22 is likeWise secured to the inside of the top Wall
`of the main body 56 of the housing 14.
`FIGS. 5A and 5B, When assembled, form a schematic
`diagram of the primary circuit components integral to the
`learning and assessment aid 10 of this invention. As seen in
`these Figures, battery 72 provides the energy needed to
`operate the other components integral With the learning and
`assessment aid 10. The positive terminal of battery 72 is tied
`to one end of a SPST sWitch 76 that functions as the main
`poWer on sWitch for the learning and assessment aid. SWitch
`76 is the main on/off sWitch integral With the volume control
`26. A 3/8 Amp fuse 78 is attached to the opposed end of
`sWitch 76 to prevent excessively high currents from being
`applied to the other components of the learning and assess
`ment aid 10.
`The energy provided by the battery 72 is applied through
`fuse 78 to a voltage regulator 80. The voltage regulator 80
`converts the battery voltage to a :5 VDC level suitable for
`energiZing the other components of the learning and assess
`ment aid 10. One such suitable voltage regulator is the
`Maxim 639. In the depicted version of the invention, the
`battery voltage is applied from fuse 78 to voltage regulator
`80 through an SCR 82. A bridge circuit consisting of
`normally open start button 24, a resistor 84 and a resistor 86
`are tied from the anode of the SCR 82 to its cathode. The
`gate of the SCR 82 is tied to the junction of resistors 84 and
`86. When sWitch 76 is closed to enable activation of the
`learning and assessment aid 10, SCR 82 is not in the on state.
`Therefore, there is no current ?oW through the SCR 82. In
`order to turn on the SCR 82 it is necessary to press,
`momentarily close, start button 24. This action causes a
`voltage to appear at the gate of the SCR 82 so as to turn on
`the SCR. Current Will then ?oW through the SCR 82 to the
`voltage regulator 80 until the current demand of the voltage
`regulator ceases, as Will be discussed hereinafter.
`The output voltage produced by the voltage regulator 80
`is made available to the other components of the learning
`
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`Ex. 1013 / Page 17 of 25
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`7
`and assessment aid through an inductor 84. AShottky diode
`86 is connected betWeen the output terminal of the voltage
`regulator 80 and ground as is required for proper operation
`of the voltage regulator. A capacitor 88 is tied betWeen the
`end of the inductor 84 distal from the voltage regulator 80
`and ground. Collectively, inductor 84 and capacitor 88 ?lter
`the output energiZation signal produced by voltage regulator
`80 to minimize voltage variations in the supplied poWer. To
`minimiZe the complexity of FIGS. 5A and 5B, only the +5
`VDC poWer terminals of the gyroscope 16 and micropro
`cessor 18 are illustrated. The poWer connections to the other
`components to Which the energiZation voltage produced by
`the voltage regulator 80 is applied are not illustrated.
`In the illustrated version of the invention, series con
`nected resistors 90 and 92 are provided to form a voltage
`divider betWeen the cathode of SCR 82 and ground. The
`voltage present at the junction of resistors 90 and 92 is
`applied to an input terminal of voltage regulator 80 as a
`LOW BATTERY INPUT (LBI) signal. In the event the
`LOW BATTERY INPUT signal falls beloW a speci?c level,
`voltage regulator 80 asserts a LOW BATTERY OUTPUT
`(LBO) signal to microprocessor 18. When microprocessor
`18 receives the LOW BATTERY OUTPUT signal, it gen
`erates appropriate audible Warnings over speaker 22 and on
`display 28 to inform the individual using the device of the
`state of the battery 72.
`Voltage regulator 80 receives from microprocessor 18 a
`SHUTDOWN (SHDN) signal. As long as the SHUTDOWN
`signal, Which is asserted loW, is not received, voltage regu
`lator 80 continues to produce an energiZation voltage for the
`other electrical components. Normally microprocessor 18
`does not assert the SHUTDOWN signal. If, hoWever, one of
`the buttons on the learning and assessment aid keypad 20 is
`not depressed after a given period of time, microprocessor
`18 asserts the SHUTDOWN signal. Voltage regulator 80,
`upon receipt of the SHUTDOWN signal, ceases to produce
`the energiZation voltage and stops draWing current through
`SCR 82. The cessation of current ?oW through the SCR 82
`turns off the SCR so as to stop current ?oW from the battery
`72. Thus, the assertion of the SHUTDOWN signal turns off
`the learning and assessment aid to prevent needless current
`drain of the battery 72. If the learning and assessment aid 10
`is to again be used, all that is necessary to reactive it is to
`depress start button 24 so as to again turn on the SCR 82.
`Keypad 20 is a conventional 12-button telephone (“0”,
`“1”, .
`.
`. “9”, “*” and “#”) keypad. The open/closed states of
`the buttons of keypad 20 are monitored by a keypad encoder
`98 such as a 74C922. Depending on Which of the buttons are
`depressed, keypad encoder 98 selectively asserts a parallel,
`4-bit signal to microprocessor 18.
`Gyroscope 16 produces tWo sets of pulsed quadrature
`output signals. A ?rst set of signals are representative of the
`veer of the learning and assessment aid 10, the eXtent to
`Which the learning and assessment aid is rotated to either the
`left or the right in a horiZontal plane. The second set of
`signals are representative of the tilt of the learning and
`assessment aid 10, the eXtent to Which the learning and
`assessment aid pitches or rolls outside of a horiZontal aXis.
`Each set of quadrature output signals is applied to a separate
`programmable logic device (PLD) that initially processes
`the signals. The veer quadrature signals are applied to PLD
`100. The tilt quadrature signals are applied to PLD 102.
`Altera EP600 programmable logic chips can be employed as
`PLDs 100 and 102.
`Each PLD 100 and 102 processes the quadrature signals
`received thereby to produce an output signal representative
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`5,803,740
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`8
`of the incremental rotation of the learning and assessment
`aid 10. In an initial processing step, each PLD 100 or 102
`removes the jitter from the received quadrature signals. This
`jitter occurs because the rotating disk internal to the gyro
`scope produces minute vibra