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

Abstract

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

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system to minimize an injury to an individual experiences a fall comprising:
 an external belt with a plurality of packets;   at least one air tank;   a fall accelerometer configured to detect a loss of balance and a start of the fall;   a directional accelerometer configured to detect a direction of the fall;   a processor uses the detected direction to enable a corresponding packet; and   the corresponding packet expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of switches located in the external belt;   the processor configured to enable at least one switch;   an air channel formed between the corresponding packet and the air tank by the at least one enabled switch, wherein   the at least one enabled switch channels compressed air from the air tank to the corresponding packet.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein
 an expansion transformation of the corresponding packet to the inflated mattress occurs in a predictable way.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the corresponding packet packs an air bag where a first section to expand from the corresponding packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the corresponding packet decreases in size as the inflated mattress expands in size.   
     
     
         7 . A system to minimize an injury to an individual that experiences a loss of balance comprising:
 an external belt with a plurality of packets;   at least one air tank;   a fall accelerometer configured to detect the loss of balance;   a directional accelerometer configured to detect a direction of a fall;   a processor uses the detected direction to enable a corresponding packet of the plurality of packets; and   the corresponding packet expands to a third leg, wherein   the third leg fully inflates to provide a temporary support for the individual to recapture their balance.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein
 at least one additional packet expands to provide a head and a neck support.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a plurality of switches located in the external belt;   the processor configured to enable at least one switch;   an air channel formed between the corresponding packet and the air tank by the at least one enabled switch, wherein   at least one enabled switch channels compressed air from the air tank to the corresponding packet.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein
 an expansion transformation of the corresponding packet to the third leg occurs in a predictable way.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein
 the corresponding packet packs an air bag where a first section to expand from the corresponding packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein
 if the individual fails to recapture their balance, then an additional packet expands to an inflated mattress to cushion the fall of the individual.   
     
     
         13 . A system of  claim 12 , wherein
 the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.   
     
     
         14 . A method of preventing an injury to an individual that experiences a loss of balance comprising the steps of:
 monitoring the balance of an individual with a fall accelerometer;   detecting the loss of balance with a processor;   enabling all packets on an external belt with at least one air tank; and   expanding each of the packets to a fully inflated air bag that touches a ground surface.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising the steps of:
 expanding at least one additional packet to provide a head and a neck support.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein
 the fully inflated air bags provide a temporary support for the individual to recapture their balance.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein
 an expansion transformation of all packets to the fully inflated air bag occurs in a predictable way.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein
 each of the packets pack an air bag where a first section to expand from each packet is a portion of the air bag that is farthest from the individual.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein
 if the individual fails to recapture their balance, then an additional packet expands to a shape of an inflated jigsaw portion which fits the fully inflated air bag to form an air mattress to cushion a fall of the individual.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein
 the inflated mattress protects a hip area and/or a head area.