Search

US-12622837-B2 - Stair navigation assist system

US12622837B2US 12622837 B2US12622837 B2US 12622837B2US-12622837-B2

Abstract

A system for assisting a user with navigating a set of stairs includes a pulley system positioned adjacent to the stairs, the pulley system including a first pulley, a second pulley, and an elongated member coupled to and looped around the first pulley and the second pulley. The system further includes a motor coupled to the first pulley, a sensing assembly operatively coupled to the pulley system, the sensing assembly being structured and configured to sense that a force is being applied to or that is about to be applied to the elongated member by the user, and a controller coupled to the motor and the sensing assembly. The controller is structured and configured to, responsive to the sensing assembly sensing the force, turn the motor on to drive the first pulley.

Inventors

  • Alexandra Delazio
  • Alton E. James, III
  • David M. Brienza
  • Jonathan L Pearlman
  • Paulina M. Villacreces
  • Md Rayhan Afsar
  • Todd Hargroder

Assignees

  • University of Pittsburgh—of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230905

Claims (18)

  1. 1 . A system for assisting a user with navigating a set of stairs, comprising: a pulley system positioned adjacent to the stairs, the pulley system including a first pulley, a second pulley, and an elongated member coupled to and looped around the first pulley and the second pulley; a motor coupled to the first pulley; a sensing assembly operatively coupled to the pulley system, the sensing assembly being structured and configured to sense that a force is being applied to or that is about to be applied to the elongated member by the user; and a controller coupled to the motor and the sensing assembly, wherein the controller is structured and configured to, responsive to the sensing assembly sensing the force, turn the motor on to drive the first pulley, wherein the sensing assembly comprises a switch assembly having a number of switches coupled to the pulley system, the switch assembly being structured and configured to sense that the force is being applied to the elongated member by the user, wherein the switch assembly is positioned adjacent to the first pulley, wherein the elongated member is received through an aperture provided in the switch assembly, and wherein one or more of the number of switches of the switch assembly are structured and configured to be closed in response to the force being applied to the elongated member by the user, wherein the first pulley and the switch assembly are housed within a first shroud member, and wherein the second pulley is housed within a second shroud member, wherein the first and second shroud members are coupled to the controller, wherein the first shroud member is structured and configured to sense that the user is touching the first shroud member and responsive thereto the controller is structured and configured to turn the motor off, and wherein the second shroud member is structured and configured to sense that the user is touching the second shroud member and responsive thereto the controller is structured and configured to turn the motor off.
  2. 2 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the switch assembly includes a frame member surrounded by a housing, wherein the aperture is formed in the frame member, and wherein each of the number of switches is positioned in between the frame member and the housing.
  3. 3 . The system according to claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of springs positioned in between the frame member and the housing.
  4. 4 . The system according to claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of roller members positioned around a perimeter of the aperture.
  5. 5 . The system according to claim 4 , wherein the number of switches comprises at least four switches, wherein the plurality of springs comprises four springs and the plurality of rollers comprises four rollers.
  6. 6 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first shroud member includes a first plate member and a first switch coupled to the first plate member, wherein the first switch is structured and configured to close responsive to the user touching the first shroud member, the controller being structured and configured to determine that the first switch is closed and responsive thereto turn the motor off, and wherein the second shroud member includes a second plate member and a second switch coupled to the second plate member, wherein the second switch is structured and configured to close responsive to the user touching the second shroud member, the controller being structured and configured to determine that the second switch is closed and responsive thereto turn the motor off.
  7. 7 . A system for assisting a user with navigating a set of stairs, comprising: a pulley system positioned adjacent to the stairs, the pulley system including a first pulley, a second pulley, and an elongated member coupled to and looped around the first pulley and the second pulley; a motor coupled to the first pulley; a sensing assembly operatively coupled to the pulley system, the sensing assembly being structured and configured to sense that a force is being applied to or that is about to be applied to the elongated member by the user; and a controller coupled to the motor and the sensing assembly, wherein the controller is structured and configured to, responsive to the sensing assembly sensing the force, turn the motor on to drive the first pulley, wherein the first pulley is housed within a first shroud member coupled to the controller and the second pulley is housed within a second shroud member coupled to the controller, wherein the first shroud member is structured and configured to sense that the user is touching the first shroud member and responsive thereto the controller is structured and configured to turn the motor off, and wherein the second shroud member is structured and configured to sense that the user is touching the second shroud member and responsive thereto the controller is structured and configured to turn the motor off.
  8. 8 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the first shroud member includes a first plate member and a first switch coupled to the first plate member, wherein the first switch is structured and configured to close responsive to the user touching the first shroud member, the controller being structured and configured to determine that the first switch is closed and responsive thereto turn the motor off, and wherein the second shroud member includes a second plate member and a second switch coupled to the second plate member, wherein the second switch is structured and configured to close responsive to the user touching the second shroud member, the controller being structured and configured to determine that the second switch is closed and responsive thereto turn the motor off.
  9. 9 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the elongated member comprises a rope or a belt.
  10. 10 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the first pulley has a V-shaped cross-section.
  11. 11 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the first pulley is made of a low friction material that has a coefficient of friction of 0.05-0.50.
  12. 12 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the sensing assembly comprises a switch assembly having a number of non-contact switches coupled to the pulley system, the switch assembly being structured and configured to sense that the force is about to be applied to the elongated member by the user.
  13. 13 . The system according to claim 7 , wherein the elongated member comprises a number of sensors for sensing tension in the elongated member, the number of sensors of the elongated member forming part of the sensing assembly.
  14. 14 . The system according to claim 7 , the sensing assembly comprising a number of force sensors structured and configured for measuring a force on the first pulley and/or the second pulley.
  15. 15 . The system according to claim 7 , further comprising a number of track support members, wherein the elongated member travels on or through the number of track support members.
  16. 16 . A method for assisting a user with navigating a set of stairs, comprising: providing a pulley system positioned adjacent to the stairs, the pulley system including a first pulley, a second pulley, and an elongated member coupled to and looped around the first pulley and the second pulley, wherein the first pulley is housed within a first shroud member, and the second pulley is housed within a second shroud member, the method further sensing that the user is touching the first shroud member or the second shroud member and responsive thereto turning the motor off; sensing that a force is being applied to or that is about to be applied to the elongated member by the user; and responsive to sensing the force, turning the motor on to drive the first pulley.
  17. 17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the elongated member travels on or through a number of track support members.
  18. 18 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the first pulley acts as a friction-based clutch such that the elongated member slides over the first pulley and as more tension is applied to the elongated member by the user there is a higher reaction force between the first pulley and the elongated member.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/374,947, filed Sep. 8, 2022, titled “STAIR NAVIGATION ASSIST SYSTEM”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to systems for providing assistance to those in need with navigating a set of stairs, and, in particular, to a stair navigation assist system that includes a rope and pulley assembly that is automatically activated/deactivated, such as through tension applied to the rope. Particular implementations may also use low-friction pulleys that act as a variable clutch to allow a user to throttle the support while ascending/descending the stairs, and also as a safety mechanism. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Navigating stairs is one of the most difficult and risky activities for older adults that have mobility or visual impairments due to loss of strength, balance, and/or visual acuity. Despite this fact, the only widely available stairway assist technology is stairlift technology, which includes a mechanical device for lifting people, typically those with disabilities, up and down stairs. Stairlifts, however, are costly, cumbersome, and are applicable for only a certain range of stairway configurations due to their size and lack of modularity. Stairlifts are also designed to passively transfer people up and down stairs, and do not allow individuals who are still able to remain active. Furthermore, in homes with only a single staircase, fire regulations and building codes often do not permit stairlifts to be installed because they can compromise escape routes during an emergency. In addition, current stairlifts only allow for automated movement up and down the stairs in a seated position. This level of assistance is often more than what is needed to safely and effectively navigate the stairs. Moreover, when navigating stairs in an upright walking position, typical handrails do not allow for a continuous grip and support (rather, the user must grip and release their hold on the handrail to move up or down the stairs). Devices such as the StairSteady (https://stairsteady.net/) and Assistep (https://stair-assist.com/), which do permit continuous engagement, require walking up the steps using both hands on a bar positioned horizontal to the stairs, which ultimately encourages a kyphotic position and invokes a feeling of instability or fear of falling over the bar in front of the user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment, a system for assisting a user with navigating a set of stairs is provided. The system includes a pulley system positioned adjacent to the stairs, the pulley system including a first pulley, a second pulley, and an elongated member coupled to and looped around the first pulley and the second pulley. The system further includes a motor coupled to the first pulley, a sensing assembly operatively coupled to the pulley system, the sensing assembly being structured and configured to sense that a force is being applied to or that is about to be applied to the elongated member by the user, and a controller coupled to the motor and the sensing assembly. The controller is structured and configured to, responsive to the sensing assembly sensing the force, turn the motor on to drive the first pulley. In another embodiment, a method for assisting a user with navigating a set of stairs is provided. The method includes providing a pulley system positioned adjacent to the stairs, the pulley system including a first pulley, a second pulley, and an elongated member coupled to and looped around the first pulley and the second pulley, sensing that a force is being applied to or that is about to be applied to the elongated member by the user, and responsive to sensing the force, turning the motor on to drive the first pulley. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stair navigation assist system according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the stair navigation assist of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the stair navigation assist of FIG. 1 with certain components removed for illustration purposes; FIG. 4 is a front elevational view, and FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of a switch assembly of the system of FIG. 1 according to one non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept; FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the switch assembly of FIGS. 4 and 5 with the housing thereof removed; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the system of FIG. 1 showing a first pulley and a shroud with a cover thereof removed; FIG. 8 is front view of a flat pulley of the system of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment; FIG. 9 is front view of a V-shaped pulley of the system of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment; FIGS. 10 and 11 are isometric views of a safety stop assembly of the system of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment; and FIG.