NL2031062B1

NL2031062B1 - Wearable cueing device with knee strap.

Info

Publication number: NL2031062B1
Application number: NL2031062A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Leopold Marie Minnoye Alexander; Waardenburg Floor; Van Der Ent Martijn
Original assignee: Cue2Walk Int B V
Priority date: 2022-02-24
Filing date: 2022-02-24
Publication date: 2023-09-11

Abstract

A wearable cueing device 1 is provided comprising a strap 3 with a holder 4 for carrying a housing 2 in a predetermined upwards orientation. The housing is manually attachable to the holder by inserting the housing by a sliding movement into the holder. The holder has an insert pocket which is formed by a carrying loop having an equally sized upper and bottom opening for receiving the housing. To wear the cueing device 1, the user first attaches the strap 3 to one of the legs, whereafter the user inserts the housing 2 in the predetermined upwards orientation into the holder 4. The configuration of the strap with holder and housing is beneficial in that an orientation of the strap does not matter for a correct placement of the housing 2. Herewith, a safety and reliability of the wearable cueing device 1 is improved.

Description

P35401NL02/KHO

Title: Wearable cueing device with knee strap.

The invention relates to a wearable cueing device for assisting a user during a motion by producing a cue. The wearable cueing device comprises a strap for releasably carrying a housing for electronics.

People suffering Parkinson’s disease, simply called Parkinson, have symptoms of shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking. During a motion, a gait irregularity may occur. Festinating gait is a typical gait including an involuntary acceleration manifested by shortening shuffling steps followed by a forward tilt of a person's body. Freezing of Gait is another symptom of Parkinson which is characterised by an absence or marked reduction of forward progression of the feet despite an intention to walk.

Cueing is a scientifically proven technique that has proven to improve a gait of a person with

Parkinson. A visual, auditory or haptic cue may be produced by a wearable cueing device to help the person in preventing gait irregularities.

KR20210069918 relates to a gait compensator for patients with degenerative brain disease, which can protect the patient by inducing stable gait by assisting gait by alleviating leg tremor that causes gait freezing in patients with degenerative brain disease. To this end, a gait compensator for a patient with degenerative brain disease is installed on a band or a protector worn under the patient's knee to correct the patient's leg tremor, a sensor unit installed on the body to detect the patient's leg tremor. A tremor detecting unit that measures the magnitude and direction of a leg tremor according to a signal, a tremor correcting unit that determines the magnitude and direction of a leg tremor opposite to the magnitude and direction data of the leg tremor detected by the tremor detecting unit, and the tremor correcting unit and a control unit for receiving the determined data from and operating the motor unit to apply vibration and force inthe opposite direction to the leg tremor.

WO2021004680 discloses a portable device for mobilizing a person suffering from a neurological gait dysfunction as a result of impaired proprioception, and carrying aid for such a device. The carrying aid is arranged to carry a gait assist unit at both a left and right leg. Each gait assist unit includes a motion sensor. The carrying aid includes a horizontally extending strap which is configured to position the motion sensor above a knee level at an outside leg position.

US10242590 discloses a wearable gait training device for gait rehabilitation. The training device includes a power supply unit, a light emitting unit, a support strap and a trigger unit. The power supply unit and the light emitting unit are coupled with each other and disposed on the support strap attached on a position below the knee joint. The support strap is provided with buckling structures forming a strap closure disposed at two ends of the strap which may include a Velcro tape.

Such a wearable cueing device is frequently put on and off by the user. For that, it is desired to provide a user-friendly wearable which can be quickly placed in position and attached in a manner which warrants a proper functioning of the cueing device.

Regarding the above-mentioned prior art, it is remarked that any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like included in the present specification is for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention, and is not to be taken as an admission that any such matters form part of the prior art or were before the priority date of each claim of this application common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.

The general object of the present invention is to at least partially eliminate the above mentioned drawback and/or to provide a usable alternative. More specific, it is an object of the invention to provide a wearable cueing device which is user-friendly in correctly putting on the cueing device to obtain accurate measurements.

In a first aspect, according to the invention, this object is achieved by a wearable cueing device according to claim 1.

According to the first aspect, a wearable cueing device including a strap, a housing and a cueing unit is provided. The wearable cueing device is arranged to assist the user during a motion by producing a cue. The wearable cueing device comprises a cueing unit for producing a cue to the user in case of a gait irregularity, in particular a freeze of gait. Preferably, the produced cue is an auditory cue.

The strap of the cueing device is arranged to carry the housing. The strap is configured to encircle a user's leg and has a closure, for example a buckle or a Velcro strap end, for closing and releasing the strap. In particular, the strap is a knee strap which is configured to enclose a leg just below a knee of the user, in particular onto a peroneus longus.

The housing is arranged for housing electronics. The electronics include at least one motion sensor, in particular a gait sensor, for detecting a motion of the user. The motion sensor provides a sensor signal to a control unit to obtain motion data to establish or predict a gait irregularity. In case of a determination of a gait irregularity, the control unit is programmed to provide an output signal to the cueing unit to produce a cue to the user.

The housing has a predetermined upwards orientation for a correct placement of the at least one motion sensor with respect to a user's leg. The upwards orientation of the housing may be marked by a marker, like an arrow or other symbol.

Preferably, the predetermined upwards orientation is defined by an intuitive form of the housing.

The form of the housing intuitively tells a user how to orient the housing with respect to the users leg to attach the housing to a strap around the users leg. The form of the housing follows its function. Preferably, the housing has an arrow shape which is formed by a flat upper side and a converging bottom side, in particular a rounded bottom side. The converging bottom side forms an arrowhead. The converging bottom side tells the user which side should be inserted into an opening for attaching the housing to the strap. Herewith, the converging bottom side forms an insertion side of the housing for attaching the housing by an insertion into a pocket of the strap.

According to the invention, the strap is improved by a holder fixed to the strap which holder is arranged to carry the housing. The holder of the strap forms an insert pocket which has an insertion upper opening and an insertion lower opening for slidably receiving the housing in the holder. The insert upper opening and the insert lower opening are equally sized allowing an insertion of the housing through either the upper or lower opening.

The housing is manually attachable and releasable from the holder by a sliding movement. The manual release of the housing from the strap may serve for charging or cleaning the cueing device, for connecting the cueing device to a computer etc. In case of a Parkinson wearable cueing device, a particular placement of the cueing device to the one or other leg is often prescribed. A particular Parkinson patient may carry the cueing device at a left leg, while another Parkinson patient may carry the cueing device at a right leg. A change of leg should not disturb a proper working of the Parkinson cueing device.

Due to the insertion opening at both an upper side and a bottom side, the strap can be closed around a leg in an upside down manner without affecting the way a user or a caregiver is familiar to insert the housing into the holder. Most of the times, when putting on the cueing device, a user will intuitively position the closure of the strap at an outside of his leg. Hence, depending on which leg the user attaches the strap, whilst keeping the closure to the outside, the strap will get oriented up- or downwards. Due to the open upper and bottom side of the holder, it does not matter on which left or right leg the user has fasten the strap, the housing can always be shifted into the holder from above. The user or physician will always hold the housing in the predetermined upwards orientation and can then insert the housing in always a same shifting manner into the holder of the strap which is independent of the attachment of the strap to a left or right leg. Herewith, this feature contributes to a proper and reliable working of the wearable cueing device. As the housing has a predetermined upwards orientation being required for an accurate operation of the cueing device, the design of the holder of the strap allowing to receive the housing always in a same manner contributes to an increased safety in using the cueing device in that the housing will be attached to the strap in a correct manner.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the holder of the strap comprises a carrying loop. The carrying loop is preferably made of an elastic material, in particular an elastic textile material. The carrying loop is configured to receive the housing. The carrying loop forms an insert pocket for receiving the housing. The insert pocket has a top and bottom pocket opening for inserting the housing into the insert pocket. Preferably, after placement of the housing, the bottom side of the housing has passed through the bottom pocket opening. The housing has a housing length which is larger than a carrying loop height. An upper portion and a lower portion of the housing is visible after placement of the housing behind the carrying loop which further contributes to the safety of the cueing device in that a user or physician may have a visual indication of a correct orientation of the housing.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the housing is attachable to the holder by a form-fit. In contrast to a friction-based clamping, the form-fit provides a precise positioning of the housing with respect to the strap. Herewith, an accurate positioning of the housing, in particular of the at least one motion sensor, is increased. To determine a gait irregularity for a Parkinson patient with a high reliability, a precise positioning of the motion sensor is highly desired. For that reason, the precise positioning of the housing by the form-fit is in particular beneficial for a Parkinson cueing device.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the rear side of the housing may include a form member and the holder may include a complimentary member which engage to each other after placement of the housing into the holder. Advantageously, the form member and complementary member increase a positional accuracy of the housing relative to the strap, in particular with respect to the strap closure. Herewith, the complementary member of the holder defines a lateral position of the housing with respect to a user's leg.

Preferably, the complementary member may further lock an up- or downwards position of the housing with respect to the strap. Together with the elastic carrying loop, the form member and the complementary member may form a snap-fit of the housing into the insert pocket. A further advantage of the arrangement of the form member and the complementary member is that a large portion of the rear side of the housing may get in contact with a user's leg which may be beneficial in transferring a haptic cue to the users leg.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the rear side of the housing is provided with a housing recess for receiving a strap elevation. The strap elevation is received in the housing recess when the housing is shifted into the holder of the strap. An engagement of the strap elevation and the housing recess further contributes to a precise positioning of the housing with respect to the strap which is beneficial in increasing an accuracy of a measurement by the motion sensor. In addition, the engagement may be further beneficial in transferring a haptic cue to the user.

The insert pocket has a pocket wall which extends in parallel with the strap. In an embodiment, the pocket wall has a wall opening for receiving a housing protrusion at a front face of the housing. At least one of the pocket wall and housing protrusion may be elastically deformable for snapping the housing into the insert pocket. Herewith, the housing is received in a form-fit manner, in particular a snap-fit, in the insert pocket. Advantageously, the form-fit provides a correct orientation of a rear side and front side of the housing, such that the at least one motion sensor inside the housing will get correctly positioned on a lower leg of the user.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the housing protrusion is formed by a button. The button may be a cue activation button for manually activating a cue. A manual activation of a cue may be desired for several reasons. The user may manually activate a cue when he is aware that a gait irregularity is upcoming, or when he knows that a certain motion to be carried out is vulnerable to be disrupted by a gait irregularity.

The user may for example manually activate the cue to stand up from a chair and walk away.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the strap comprises a length adjustment buckle and a closure at a substantially fixed position relative to the holder. The closure may for example be formed by a press button or a hook and loop fastener. The closure is formed at the strap ends. In attaching the strap, the user will intuitively place the closure at an outside of the users leg. As a consequence of the fixed position of the holder relative to the closure, the holder will get positioned at a predetermined location at the user's leg. Advantageously, the length adjustment feature in combination with the non-

adjustable closure contributes to a precise positioning of the housing, in particular the motion sensor, with respect to the users leg which increases a reliability of the wearable cueing device.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the housing has an upper side to be upwardly directed to obtain the upwards orientation of the housing which is required for a proper operation. The housing may be provided with a mark, e.g. ‘this side up’ to indicate a correct orientation for use. The upper side may be marked with an arrow on an outside of the housing, such that a user understands a proper orientation of the housing. The upper side may be provided with at least one operating button. The operating button at the upper side of the housing contributes to an intuitive correct insertion of the housing into the insert pocket of the strap. The operating button at the upper side of the housing is further beneficial in that the button remains visible and accessible for the user after attachment of the strap to one of the user's legs.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the housing is box -shaped. The housing has a front face, a rear support face to be mated with a user's leg, a left and right side face, and a bottom side. The housing houses electronics which may further contain a power unit, a control unit and a cueing unit. Herewith, the housing may comprise all the electronic components of the wearable cueing device to form a single unit held by the strap.

Advantageously, the wearable cueing device is a stand-alone device.

In an embodiment, the housing may comprise an electronic circuit including a transponder to communicate with a remote control unit and a cueing unit, for example implemented by an app on a smartphone or smartwatch.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the cueing unit is an auditory cueing unit for producing auditory cues. In particular, a system formed by a smartwatch operatively connected with the housing can be used as a wearable cueing device in which the smartwatch operates as the auditory cueing unit.

In an embodiment of the wearable cueing device according to the invention, the cueing device further comprises an alarm unit for providing an alarm in case of a fall of the user. The alarm unit may produce an alarm to the user's environment, e.g. a noisy alarm to attract attention of people in a neighbourhood of the user, or a remote alarm as a call for help, e.g. from caregiver orarelative.

Thus, a wearable cueing device is provided comprising a strap with a holder for carrying a housing in a predetermined upwards orientation. The housing is manually attachable to the holder by inserting the housing by a sliding movement into the holder. The holder has an insert pocket which is formed by a carrying loop having an equally sized upper and bottom opening for receiving the housing. To wear the cueing device, the user first attaches the strap to one of the legs, whereafter the user inserts the housing in the predetermined upwards orientation into the holder. The configuration of the strap with holder and housing is beneficial in that an orientation of the strap does not matter for a correct placement of the housing. Herewith, a safety and reliability of the wearable cueing device is improved.

In a second aspect of the invention, the cueing device is a wearable cueing device which is formed by a system comprising a combination of a smartwatch and a smartphone, wherein the smartphone functions as a housing provided with at least one motion sensor for providing a sensor signal, and wherein the smartwatch functions as a cueing unit for producing a cue to the user in case of a gait irregularity. The smart phone and the smartwatch are each programmed with an app which is configured to establish a cooperation of the combination of the smart phone and smartwatch to determine and to produce a cue in case of a gait irregularity.

In use, the smartwatch is worn on a wrist and the smartphone is positioned at one of the legs of the user. The smart phone may be simply inserted in a hose pocket, such that a strap is not necessary. Alternatively, the smart phone may be attached to the leg of the user by a limb band. The limb band may have a sleeve shaped body made of a stretchable material. By forming the wearable cueing device by commonly available devices, a wearable cueing device is easily available for a person with Parkinson. Beneficially, only a smartwatch app and a smartphone app needs to be downloaded and installed by the user to obtain the wearable cueing device.

In a third aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a wearable fall prevention device. The fall prevention device is configured to measure a user's gait and to determine a gait irregularity which might cause a fall of the user. The fall prevention device comprises a strap which is configured to encircle a user's leg. The strap is provided with a closure for opening and closing the strap. Further, the fall prevention device comprises a housing for housing electronics including at least one motion sensor for providing a sensor signal to a control unit to obtain motion data. The housing has a predetermined upwards orientation for an operational placement relative to the users leg. Beneficially, an attachment of the housing to the users leg in the prescribed upwards orientation may provide accurate measurements of a user's gait to precisely determine an upcoming or occurring gait irregularity. Further, the fall prevention device includes an alarm unit for producing an alarm to the user or other person, like a physician, to trigger attention for an event rendering a fall risk. An alarm signal may be generated to warn a user, and/or an alarm signal may be sent to a remote station, e.g. a relative’s smart phone or a caregiver at a remote location.

According to this aspect of the invention, an improvement is provided in the manually releasable attachment of the housing to the strap. The holder of the strap is configured to receive the housing in both the predetermined upwards orientation and in an upside down orientation.

Herewith, the strap is attachable to one of the user's legs without bothering a correct placement of the housing in the predetermined upwards orientation.

In an embodiment of the fall prevention device, the manually releasable attachment is configured as above described regarding the wearable cueing device. The manually releasable attachment may be configured as an insert pocket having an equally sized upper and lower insertion opening.

In an embodiment of the fall prevention device according to the invention, the housing is attachable to the strap by a first and second press button. The strap has a holder which is formed by a first and second press button member, and the housing includes at a rear side a first and second complementary press button member. In attaching the housing to the strap, the first and second press button define a position of the housing relative to a strap end. In addition, the second press button defines a rotational positioning of the housing.

In an embodiment of the fall prevention device according to the invention, the housing has a housing body including a ‘form follows function’ shape as described above and in the detailed description regarding the wearable cueing device. An arrow shaped housing body is beneficial in providing an intuitive suggestion to the user to hold the housing in the correct predetermined upwards orientation before attaching the housing to the strap.

According to a next aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a housing for a wearable device wherein the housing has a housing body including a ‘form follows function’ shape. In particular, a ‘form follows function’ shape as described above and in the detailed description regarding the wearable cueing device. The housing has a predetermined upwards orientation for an operational placement relative to a user's extremity. Beneficially, the shape of the housing intuitively suggests a user to place the housing in a correct orientation before attaching the housing to a strap.

In particular, the wearable device comprises a strap which is configured to encircle a user's extremity, in particular a user's leg. The strap is provided with a closure for opening and closing the strap. Beneficially, an attachment of the housing to the users extremity in the prescribed upwards orientation may provide accurate measurements of a user’s gait.

Herewith, the strap is attachable to one of the user's extremity without bothering a subsequent correct placement of the housing in the predetermined upwards orientation.

In an embodiment of the wearable device according to the invention, the housing has a housing body including a ‘form follows function’ shape as described above and in the detailed description regarding the wearable cueing device. An arrow shaped housing body is beneficial in providing an intuitive suggestion to the user to hold the housing in the correct predetermined upwards orientation before attaching the housing to the strap.

In an embodiment of the wearable device, the manually releasable attachment is configured as above described regarding the wearable cueing device. The manually releasable attachment may be configured as an insert pocket having an equally sized upper and lower insertion opening.

In an embodiment of the wearable device according to the invention, the housing is attachable to the strap by a first and second press button, in particular a metal snap button. The strap has a holder which is formed by a first and second press button member, and the housing includes at a rear side a first and second complementary press button member. The first and second press button are positioned in a length or width direction of the strap. In attaching the housing to the strap, the first and second press button define a position of the housing relative to a strap end. In addition, the second press button defines a rotational positioning of the housing.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the appended drawings. The drawings show a practical embodiment according to the invention, which may not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. Specific features may also be considered apart from the shown embodiment and may be taken into account in a broader context as a delimiting feature, not only for the shown embodiment but as a common feature for all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the wearable cueing device according to the invention including a housing carried by a holder of a strap;

Fig. 2 shows the strap in an extended view;

Fig. 3 shows a closure of the strap which is normally positioned at a lateral outside of a user's leg;

Fig. 4 shows a length adjustment buckle of the strap;

Fig. 5 shows the holder of the strap in a cross-sectional view;

Fig. 6 shows in a left-sided view different orientations of the strap when respectively attached to a left or right leg of the user, and in a right sided cross-sectional view, a knee angle a between the holder and a central knee position in which the closure is positioned at the lateral outside of the users leg on a user's peroneus longus;

Fig. 7 and 8 show an intuitive shape of the housing in respectively a front and rear sided perspective view; and

Fig. 9 shows a top view of the housing including switch buttons for switching on or off an auditory or haptic cue.

In Figs. 1-9, a wearable cueing device according to the invention is shown and denoted overall by reference numeral 1. Identical reference signs are used in the drawings to indicate identical or functionally similar components. To facilitate comprehension of the description and of the claims the words vertical, harizontal, longitudinal, cross-sectional are used in a practical sense with reference to gravity and are used in a non-limiting way.

Fig. 1 shows a wearable cueing device 1 in a perspective view. The wearable cueing device 1 is arranged to assist a person during a motion by producing a cue. In particular, the wearable cueing device is a Parkinson gait assist device to guide a person with Parkinson during a gait to prevent or overcome an occurring gait irregularities. A freeze of gait is an example of such a gait irregularity which can be detected as upcoming or occurring when sensing a motion of the user. The wearable cueing device 1 includes a cueing unit 6 for producing a cue to the user in case of a gait irregularity.

The wearable cueing device 1 comprises a strap 3 provided with a holder for 4 holding a housing 2.

Fig. 2 and 3 show the strap 3. The strap 3 is a knee strap. The strap 3 is configured to be placed around a user’s leg at a position just below a knee. The strap 3 is made of a textile material.

The strap has a closure 30 to allow a user to manually attach and remove the strap 3 from the leg by opening the closure 30. Here, the closure is made by hook and loop fasteners at both strap ends 31, 32. Further, at an intermediate region, the strap 3 has a length adjustment buckle 33 for adjusting a length of the strap in correspondence with a circumference of a user’s leg just below a knee. The length adjustment buckle includes a clip 331. The clip 331 is connected to a first strap portion and configured to receive a second strap portion which is folded back.

The first strap portion has a fixed length. The second strap portion is provided with hook and loop fasteners to attach the second strap portion in a back folded position as shown in Fig. 4.

As shown in further detail in Fig. 5, the holder 4 is formed by a carrying loop 40 attached to the strap 3. Here, the carrying loop 40 is made of the same material as the strap 3. The carrying loop 40 has an upper and lower opening 401, 402 which are equally sized. The carrying loop 40 forms an insert pocket for receiving the housing 2. The insert pocket has a pocket wall 41 which has a wall opening 42. The wall opening 42 is configured to receive a housing protrusion 27 at a front side 22 of the housing 2. Fig. 1 and 7 also show the housing protrusion 27. The housing protrusion 27 is preferably an operating member, in particular a press button, for self- activating a cue.

As further shown in fig. 5 and 8, the housing 2 has a housing body 20 which has a form member 28 at a rear side 23. Here, the form member 28 is a housing recess. The form member 28 is configured in correspondence with a complementary member 43 of the holder 4. The form member 28 and the complementary member 43 engage to each other by a form-fit. After insertion of the housing 2 in the insert pocket of the strap, the members 28, 43 contribute to an accurate positioning of the housing 2 relative to a user's leg which improves a reliability of operation.

The housing 2 is attachable to the strap 3 by an inserting motion. The upper and lower opening 401, 402 are equally sized. Hence, the housing 2 is insertable through one of these openings 401, 402 to place the housing 2 behind the carrying loop.

Fig. 6 illustrates in a left sided view a benefit of the configuration of the strap 3. In functioning as a Parkinson gait assist device, in dependence of a user preference, the strap may be attached to a left or right leg of the user. For a proper operation, it is important that the housing 2 is attached to the strap according to the predetermined upwards orientation. To wear the cueing device, the user first attaches the strap 3 to his leg. Intuitively, the user will position the closure 30 of the strap 3 at an outside of his leg. Hence, when placing the strap to the left leg, the strap will get oriented upside down with respect to a placement at the right leg.

Advantageously, the configuration of the holder 4 anticipates to these different orientations of a placed strap. The holder 4 has an upper and lower opening 401, 402 which both allow an insertion of the housing 2. Due to the presence of the upper and lower opening 401, 402, the user or a physician can always insert the housing 2 from above (as indicated by an arrow in fig. 3). Herewith, the configuration of the holder 4 stimulates that the housing 2 will always be oriented in a right manner. The correct placement of the housing 2 increases a reliability of a proper working. Advantageously, the design of the strap 3 and the holder 4 contribute to an increased safety of the Parkinson gait assist device.

In a right-sided view of fig. 6, a cross-sectional view is shown in which the placement of the housing 2 relative to a user's knee is illustrated. The strap 3 encircles a users leg just below the knee. The closure 30 is positioned laterally outside the users leg which follows from a natural tend of a user.

As also shown in fig. 2, the holder 4 is positioned at a fixed distance ‘d’ from the first strap end 31 of the closure 30. Herewith, the holder 4 positions an inserted housing 2 at a knee angle a outwards from a central front position at the knee. Preferably, the fixed distance ‘d’ is configured to place the housing 2 onto a peroneus compartment of the user. In particular, the knee angle a is at least 30°, in particular at least 45° which is beneficial to obtain an accurate sensoring by the motion sensor 8 for determining a gait irregularity. Advantageously, the fixed distance ‘d’ between the strap and 31 and the holder 4 contributes to an accurate measurement in determining a gait irregularity. The length adjustment buckle 33 provided separate from the closure 31 and which has a clip 331 attached to the strap portion provided with the holder 4 is beneficial to allow a length adjustment of the strap without changing the fixed distance ‘d'.

As further shown in fig. 9, the housing 2 is arranged for housing electronics. The housing has a housing body 20 which houses an electronic circuit including at least one motion sensor 8, e.g. an accelerometer. The wearable cueing device may be a stand-alone device in which the housing further comprises a cueing unit 6, a control unit 7 and a battery 9. Alternatively, the housing 2 of the wearable cueing device 1 may be configured to cooperate with a smart phone or smart watch in which e.g. the cueing unit 6 is provided by the smartphone. For a proper operation of the wearable cueing device, the housing 2 is to be attached to the strap 3 in a predetermined orientation. The predetermined orientation is required to obtain accurate motion data from the at least one motion sensor 8 housed by the housing 2.

As shown in fig.7 and 8, the housing 2 has an upper side 21 which in use is to be held in the upwards direction to obtain accurate measurements of the at least one motion sensor 8. The housing body 20 has a ‘form-follows-function’ configuration. The housing body 20 has a flat upper side 21 and a converging bottom side 26. The bottom side 26 has a rounded or spherical surface. In combination, the flat upper side 21 and the converging bottom side 26 provide an arrow shape configuration of the housing body 20. This arrow shape configuration provides an intuitive suggestion to the user to direct the bottom side 26 downwards and to the upper side upwards. Herewith, the configuration of the housing body 20 contributes to a proper placement of the housing 2 when attaching the housing to the strap 3.

A presence of at least one operating member 29 at the upper side 21, as shown in fig. 9, may further increase the intuitive suggestion to the user to hold the housing 2 in the correct predetermined orientation before attaching the housing 2 to the strap 3. An operating member 29 may for example be a switch button 291, 292 for switching on/off an auditory or haptic cue.

Thus, the invention provides a wearable cueing device 1 comprising a strap 3 with a holder 4 for carrying a housing 2 in a predetermined upwards orientation. The housing is manually attachable to the holder by inserting the housing by a sliding movement into the holder. The holder has an insert pocket which is formed by a carrying loop having an equally sized upper and bottom opening for receiving the housing. To wear the cueing device 1, the user first attaches the strap 3 to one of the legs, whereafter the user inserts the housing 2 in the predetermined upwards orientation into the holder 4. The configuration of the strap with holder and housing is beneficial in that an upside-down orientation of the strap does not matter for a correct placement of the housing 2. Herewith, a safety and reliability of the wearable cueing device 1 is improved.

Numerous variants are possible in addition to the embodiment shown in the figures. For example, in a variant of the illustrated embodiment of the wearable cueing device, the strap may be made of an elastic material without a length adjustment element. Instead of a closure with a hook and loop fastener, the closure may be formed by buckle structures or a press button.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. It is intended that all such changes and modifications be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure and claims.

Further, it is remarked that any feature of the system according to the invention which is described in the embodiments and/or mentioned in the dependent claims is in itself considered patentable without any dependency to another presented feature. In particular, any measure presented in a dependent claim is also considered patentable without dependency of the independent claim.

Reference signs list: 1 cueing device 331 clip 2 housing 4 holder 20 housing body 40 carrying loop 21 upper side 401 upper opening 22 front side 402 lower opening 23 rear side 41 pocket wall 24 left side 42 wall opening 25 right side 43 complementary member 26 bottom side ‘d’ distance holder — closure 27 housing protrusion / button ‘a’ knee angle 28 form member 29 operating member 5 motion/gait sensor 6 cueing unit 3 strap 7 control unit closure 8 motion sensor 31 strap end 9 battery 32 strap end 33 length adjustment buckle

Claims

CONCLUSIONS

1. Portable stimulus device (1) for assisting a user with a generation of a stimulus during a movement when an irregularity in the gait is determined, the stimulus device (1) comprising: - a belt (3) adapted to to enclose a leg of a user, wherein the strap is provided with a closure (30) for opening and closing the strap; - a housing (2) for housing electronics comprising at least a motion sensor (8) for providing a sensor signal to a control unit (1) for obtaining motion data, wherein the housing (2) has a predetermined upward orientation for an operational placement relative to a user's leg; - a stimulus unit (6) for producing a stimulus to the user in case of an irregularity in a loop; wherein the housing (2) is manually releasably connected to the strap (3), wherein the strap comprises a holder (4) that forms a pocket for carrying the housing, wherein the holder has an upper insert opening (401) and a lower insert opening (402) that are of the same size for sliding reception of the housing in the holder.

Portable stimulus device according to claim 1, wherein the holder (4) comprises a carrying loop (40) preferably made of an elastic material for receiving the housing (2).

Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined upward orientation of the housing is defined by a shape of the housing (2) with a flat top side (21) and a converging bottom side (26), in particular a round bottom side.

4. Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing is box-shaped with a top side (21) that is to be oriented upwards, wherein a marking, for example an arrow or an inscription 'this side up', on the housing indicates a Use indicates correct housing orientation.

Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing is coupled to the holder (4) by a positive fit, in particular a click connection.

6. Portable stimulus device according to claim 5, wherein the rear of the housing is provided with a shaping member (28) and wherein the holder comprises a complementary member (43), wherein the members after placement of the housing (2) in the holder ( 4) engage with each other in a positive fit.

Portable stimulus device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the carrying loop (40) that forms the insert pocket has a pocket wall (41) that extends parallel to the strap (3), the pocket wall (41) having a wall opening (42) ) for receiving a housing protrusion (27) positioned on a front side (22) of the housing.

Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a front side (22) of the housing (2) is provided with a projection (27) for fitting into an opening of the holder.

9. Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the strap has a length adjustment buckle (33) and wherein the closure (30) has a fixed position at a distance 'd' relative to the holder (4), such that that the holder comes into position at a predetermined location on a user's leg, in particular on a peroneal socket.

10. Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (2) has at least one operating member, for example a button (29), on a top side of the housing.

11. Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the portable stimulus device is a portable Parkinson's stimulus device, a so-called Parkinson's gait assistance device, for producing a stimulus when a gait irregularity related to Parkinson's disease is determined is becoming.

12. Portable stimulus device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the portable stimulus device comprises an alarm unit for providing an alarm in the event of a fall of the user.