Inventors:
Algie C. Brown - Atlanta GA
Carl T. Welty - Chamblee GA
Henry G. Williams - Lexington VA
David M. Williams - Dunwoody GA
James M. Dabbs - Duluth GA
Assignee:
Footmark, Inc. - Atlantic GA
International Classification:
G02B 2608
Abstract:
An apparatus and methods for analyzing feet which utilize matrixes of pressures sensors and optical sensors connected to a controller and a monitor. An apparatus of the invention includes a housing which houses a controller and a monitor and defines left and right foot wells for receiving left and right feet, respectively. The floor of each foot well includes a pressure pad assembly which includes a matrix of pressure sensor contacts covered by a variably resistive pressure pad to form pressure sensor matrixes. A digital signal processor normalizes and smoothes the pressure data for display on the monitor. Infrared LED's and phototransistors are located around the perimeter of each foot well and are utilized to measure the length, width, and heights of a foot. A microprocessor addresses each LED and phototransistor separately. The controller reads data created by the DSP and IR microprocessor, calculates additional data, and displays the resulting data on the monitor.
