YORKSHIRE CARE equipment Hip'Guard User manual

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USER GUIDE
Yorkshire Care Equipment
Linkside House, Forest Lane Head,
Harrogate, HG2 7TE
T: 01423 799960
E: [email protected]
www.yorkshirecareequipment.com
Certified airbag

23
USER GUIDE
Product presentation ........................................................ 24
Quick user guide .................................................................. 25
General safety instructions ............................................. 28
Technical description ....................................................... 29
Reusing the airbag system ................................................ 34
Maintenance ....................................................................... 37
Delivery & After Sales Service ............................................ 38
Functioning and malfunctioning ...................................... 39
Certication ......................................................................... 40
Disclaimer ............................................................................. 41
To get the most out of your airbag belt Hip'Guard,
please read this manual carefully.

24 User Guide
A. Hip'Guard: the complete belt with airbag system.
B. USB cable: to recharge the belt with any USB port or USB charger on
a phone or tablet.
C. 2 gas cartridges: to inate the airbag to the right or left in the event
of a fall. The cartridges are for single use only and must be replaced after
each ination. Only the gas cartridge on the side of the airbag that has
been inated must be replaced after a fall.
D. Airbag belt: integrates the electronic system and adapts to the
person's body shape. The airbag belt is not washable.
E. Protective cover: avoids soiling the airbag belt, which is not
washable. The cover is light, comfortable, removable and washable. It is
recommended to always use the belt with the cover.
1. Product presentation
Hip'Guard is an airbag belt that protects the hip in case of a fall. When a
fall is detected, the airbag inates on the left or right hip depending on
the fall direction and provides optimal protection before impact with the
ground. Hip'Guard includes: an airbag belt, a protective cover, two gas
cartridges and a USB cable.
BC
A
E
HipGuard USB cable Gas cartridge
Belt
D
Protective cover

25
User Guide
Gas cartridge
For whom?
Hip'Guard is designed for elderly people at risk of falling, or for people
with mobility problems and at risk of falling. It is adapted for everyday
use at home, in a nursing home or in a rehabilitation centre. It is not
suitable for people with normal, or rapid mobility, as rapid and sudden
movements can cause accidental triggering.
2. Quick user guide
a. Charging the belt
Before using the belt for the rst time, the belt needs to be charged by
connecting the charger to the belt buckle (see p. 32). The LED turns green
once the battery is fully charged. Hip'Guard will not work if the battery is
discharged.
Before using the belt on a daily basis it is essential to check that it is
fully charged. If the battery is discharged, a red LED will ash and 3 short
beeps will be heard every 30 seconds.
b. Positioning the belt
1. Checking the orientation
The red labels must point
downwards. The UP arrow
on the inside of the belt
must point upwards. The
light blue anti-slip material
must be pressed against
the body and in contact
with the clothing.
2. Putting the belt on
The belt is placed around the waist and adapts to the body shape due to
the elastic band. The blue material is in contact with the clothing and the
buckle is closed.
UP
UP
female buckle
connector
male buckle
connector

26 User Guide
The belt should be positioned at the hips below the navel. If the belt is too
high or too low, the size is not correct (see p. 33).
The correct positioning of the belt
- The belt must be adjusted at the waist.
- The red labels must point downwards.
- The buckle must be positioned at the front and centred in relation to
the pelvis. To close the belt, the female buckle connector (see p. 25)
must be in the right hand. If the buckle is not centred, this will prevent
the belt from working properly (risk of accidental triggering.
- The light blue anti-slip material and the UP arrow must be pressed
against the body and in contact with the clothing.

27
Recommendation: the belt should not be worn directly on the skin. It
should always be worn over trousers and a T-shirt. However, it is possible
to wear the belt under a waistcoat or jacket that is loose and open at the
waist and hips. The waistcoat or jacket should not be tight around the
hips and waist to not hinder the ination of the airbag.
c. Switching on the belt
Once the buckle is closed the belt is activated. A green LED is followed
by an orange LED that indicates that the belt is being initialised (10
seconds). The green LED lights up again to indicate the end of the
initialisation phase.
See page 39 for details on the LEDs and beeps.
ON OFF
ACTIVE INACTIVE
When the belt is on (closed buckle), and in normal
operation, a green LED ashes every 5 seconds.
CAUTION: The system takes a few seconds to activate (10 second
initialisation phase). An orange LED indicates this period during which
the belt can be adjusted without risk of accidental triggering. A
green LED signals the end of the initialisation. The belt is now active and
ready to protect the user. In the event of a fall during the initialisation
phase, the airbag will not trigger. If a red LED lights up, the status of
the belt needs to be checked (see p. 40).

28 User Guide
d. Checking before use
If one of these elements is not validated, the protection may not be
optimal.
The belt is charged.
The belt is correctly adjusted to the size.
The belt is facing the right side (the red labels are down and the light blue
anti-slip material is inside).
The buckle is closed (ON mode).
A green LED is on and ashes every 5 seconds.
e. Removing the belt and switching o the system
Once the buckle is opened and
the belt removed, the system
stops automatically. All that's left
to do is put the belt away.
3. General safety instructions
Here are a few instructions that must be followed for
safety reasons:
• After ination, the gas cartridge must only be replaced with a Hip'Guard
cartridge (available on the www.hipguard.eu website or from a retailer).
• Store the belt carefully when not in use: keep it away from high
temperatures (45°C) and humidity.
• Any modication or misuse of the belt could dangerously reduce the
eectiveness of the airbag.
• Never wear the belt under trousers.
CAUTION
The buckle must never been closed when
the belt is not being worn. This could
cause accidential trigger of the airbag when
transported or hung up (e.g. on a coat hanger).

29
User Guide
• Never wear the belt directly on the skin.
• Before each use, make sure that the belt is worn in the correct direction
(the buckle centred, the female part of the buckle on the right and the red
labels pointing downwards).
• Never disassemble the components of the belt or gas cartridge.
• Do not touch the electronic components and cables located in the textile
pocket behind the buckle. This could seriously damage the belt.
• Never buckle the belt when it is not being worn or when it is being charged
(risk of accidental triggering).
• Modication or removal of any of the original belt components will impair
the proper functioning of the airbag.
• Never wash the belt, only the protective cover is hand or machine washable
(30°).
• Not suitable for sports or activities that involve sudden or rapid body
movements. There is a high risk of accidental airbag activation.
• Do not use in the shower or bath.
• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Not suitable for people with advanced dementia (Alzheimer's) who are at
risk of shifting, turning, lowering or removing the belt. The airbag may not
activate or may activate in a way that could dangerously aect the person.
There is a risk of falling if the belt is lowered and lower than the hip, as
walking could be hindered.
4. Technical description
a. The concept
Everyday life After a fall

30 User Guide
The Hip'Guard belt is an airbag belt that protects the hip and femoral
neck in the event of a fall. When a fall is detected, the airbag inates on
the left or right hip (in 0.08 seconds) depending on the fall direction and
provides optimal protection before ground impact.
b. The electronic system
The belt has an integrated electronic system behind the buckle which
must not be manipulated, otherwise the warranty will be void. This system
uses a high-performance algorithm and sensors. It follows the person's
motion in context and determines if the person is falling. The fall is
detected in 200 ms and the regarding airbag inates in 80 ms. The person
is therefore protected in 280 ms and before impact (approximately 400
ms). The system automatically switches to sleep mode when the person
is lying down.
c. The airbag protection
The airbags are manufactured and
tested in Helite's workshops. They are
made of high quality nylon and are very
strong to cushion and absorb shocks
with optimal eciency. The maximum
pressure when the airbags are fully
inated is about 200 mbar. The airbag
deates gradually after ination. The
triggering of an airbag generates the
sound of a slight detonation, but does
not generate any heat.
Anatomic design:
The horseshoe shape of the airbag
protects the upper part of the femoral
neck by insulating it and diverting the
force of the impact. This allows the
force to be distributed around the bone
and not on the bone.
.

31
d. The gas cartridges
The belt is sold with two gas cartridges already installed and ready to use.
To change the gas cartridges, simply insert the new gas cartridge into
the corresponding connector (airbag ring), hold it in place with the red
elastic cap and connect it to the cable connecting it to the electronics. It
is mandatory to see page 34 for more detailed steps. It is recommended
to keep a small stock of spare gas cartridges. The gas cartridges can be
ordered online or from a dealer.
CAUTION
- The gas cartridges are for single use only and must be replaced after
each ination.
- Helite cannot ensure the safety and proper functioning of Hip'Guard
with cartridges that are not original Hip'Guard gas cartridges. The gas
cartridges to be used are only Hip'Guard gas cartridges (GG 27cc).
- Store and use at temperatures below 45°C: do not leave full gas
cartridges in a car at too high temperatures.
- Do not drop the gas cartridge.
- If any corrosive marks appear on the surface of the gas cartridge, change
it immediately.
- Do not cut or perforate the gas cartridge. DANGER: The gas inside is
compressed at very high pressure.
- Do not dispose the gas cartridge in a re or in a rubbish bin. Take it to
the waste disposal site.
- Keep out of reach of children.
red
elastic
cap airbag ring
correctly installed
gas cartridge
cartridge
cable
cable connecting to the
electronic system of the
belt

32 User Guide
e. The battery
Hip'Guard has an autonomy of approximately 75 hours depending on
the frequency of use. The system is 100% automatic and energy-ecient:
it automatically switches to sleep mode when the wearer is lying down.
The belt recharges like any other electronic device on any USB port or on
a USB 5V phone or tablet charger.
Caution: only the USB cable that is supplied with the belt can be
used to recharge the belt.
Battery low: Red LED ashing and 3 short
beeps every 30 sec. The belt needs to be
recharged.
Connect the charger to the belt buckle.
Charging time is about 6 hours.
When the belt is charged, the indicator
turns green.
f. The size of the belt
There are 5 dierent sizes (S, M, L, XL, 2XL). For optimal comfort and t, an
elastic band has been added at the back of the belt.
To nd the right size, simply measure the waist line with clothes at the
navel and consult the table below:
S M L XL 2XL
Wait line
in cm
70
-
86
83
-
95
92
-
105
102
-
120
117
-
135
CAUTION
Never close the buckle when the belt is being charged.
Check that the battery is charged before each use.

33
With the correct choice of the size the belt should t properly on the hips.
It should be neither too tight nor too loose and the buckle should be
pressed against the abdomen.
g. The protective cover
A protective cover is included with Hip'Guard. The belt can be worn
without the cover but it is recommended to use the cover to protect the
belt which is not washable. The protective cover is washable at 30°C. It
is easy to put on and take o by following the press buttons and the red
label.
Always check that the cover is in the right orientation:
- The red labels (belt and cover) are matching and point downwards.
- The UP arrow on the inside of the belt and on the cover match and the
arrow points upwards.
- The light blue material of the cover is superimposed on the belt.
- The press buttons are facing downwards.
Failure to strictly follow these indications could prevent Hip'Guard
from working properly, as the cover could then prevent the airbags
from deploying.

34 User Guide
3
5. Reusing the airbag system
The belt is reusable after each fall, as long as the airbag fabric is not
damaged. The electronic system will indicate that the maximum number
of airbag deployments has been reached (see page 40). To reuse the belt,
simply fold and stow the deployed airbag and replace the gas cartridge.
The following steps need to be followed after one of the airbags has
inated:
1. Remove the protective cover.
2. Open the small pocket of the gas cartridge on the side where the
airbag has inated. It is located between the buckle and the airbag.
3. Remove the empty gas cartridge.
a) Disconnect the empty gas cartridge. This step must be carried out rst.
It is dangerous to remove the cartridge before disconnecting it.
b) Remove the red elastic cap by pulling it upwards (rounded part of the
cartridge), then slide it towards the back of the cartridge to release it
(see schema b).
c) Remove the empty cartridge by holding the black and white plastic
ring rmly and pulling the cartridge outwards.
1 2
a)
b)
c)

35
4. Release the air of the airbag by pressing
with both hands on the white side of the
airbag cushion.
5. Fold and stow the airbag
a) Put the belt close to you, the empty airbag faces upwards (see schema a).
b) Reverse the airbag towards you to have the blue part facing you.
c) Roll up the airbag. The blue side MUST ALWAYS be folded inwards.
Otherwise the airbag will not be able to deploy correctly.
d) Finish rolling up the airbag and adjust it so that it ts in the pocket.
At the end of the rolling up, the white part of the airbag must always be
visible.
e) Close the airbag pocket following the velcros starting from the velcros
close to the zip.
5
a) b) c)
d) e)
4
CAUTION
If the gas cartridge is not removed, it
will not be possible to release all the
air of the airbag.

36 User Guide
6. Install a new gas cartridge
a) Hold the black and white plastic ring rmly. Insert a new Hip'Guard
gas cartridge into the cylinder. Push the new gas cartridge in as far as
it will go. (see image a). If the cartridge is not suciently inserted, it will
be dicult to put on the red elastic cap and the airbag will not inate
suciently in order to ensure good protection.
b) Cover the end of the cartridge with the red elastic cap using the red
strap (run a nger through it). This step must be carried out after inserting
the gas cartridge. It is dangerous to close the zip before the cap covers the
cartridge head.
c) Connect the cable of the gas cartridge with the cable of the system. This
step must only be carried out after the cartridge is properly positioned
and attached. It is dangerous to connect the cartridge before it is properly
xed (clips and elastic cap).
d) Close the zip of the pocket.
6
a) b)
c)
cartridge correctly
xed,
attached and
connected

37
Checks after a fall
Pay attention to the following points when the belt is inated :
• The gas will gradually escape. The maximum pressure remains for about
5 to 10 seconds, and then the airbag deates gradually and partially.
• Internal damage to the belt can be detected by very rapid deation, if
any abnormal mark on the airbag is observed, contact or take the belt to
an authorised dealer for servicing.
In addition to the checks on page 28, check that these elements are
validated. Otherwise, the user may not be properly protected.
The gas cartridge has been replaced by a new Hip'Guard cartridge.
Both airbags are properly folded in their pockets.
The protective cover is on the right side and has been properly closed.
6. Maintenance
a. The gas cartridges
The gas cartridges come with a 10-year guarantee, but it is recommended
to check the weight of the gas cartridge every year. The check consists of
weighing the gas cartridge. The Hip'Guard 27 CC gas cartridge weighs 108
g: its weight must be between 105 g and 111 g.
CAUTION
Incorrect installation may prevent the system from working properly. In
case of doubt concerning the reconditioning of Hip'Guard, please consult
the video tutorials on the website www.hipguard.eu, or contact a retailer.
7. Replace and close the protective cover
Follow the press buttons. Take care to position the cover correctly (see
p.33 for correct positioning of the protective cover).
7

38 User Guide
30°C
b.Washing
Only the protective cover is hand and machine washable.
c. Storage
For a good durability of the product, respect the following rules:
• Do not expose to high temperatures (direct sunlight, in a closed vehicle,
near a heat source or a ame).
• Do not expose to rain and steam, avoid excessive humidity.
• Do not cover with anything heavy.
• Do not leave within the reach of rodents or other animals.
• Do not leave within the reach of children
• Do not close the belt when it is stored.
d. Recycling
If the gas cartridge is empty or the airbag belt is at the end of its life,
please do not throw it away with the household waste. In order to avoid
any environmental or health risks, please sort them out and dispose of
them at a local waste collection centre. Consult the local sorting rules for
electronic and metal waste (municipality, waste collection centre, etc.).
7. Delivery and After Sales Service
For all questions about the Hip'Guard belt, please contact a retailer. If
Hip'Guard was purchased on the hipguard.eu website, please contact
the customer service via email at: [email protected].
Protective cover Belt
CAUTION
The belt is not washable (neither by machine nor by hand). It can only be
cleaned with a gently damp sponge. Washing the belt or immersing it in
liquid will damage the electronics and void the warranty.

39
a. Delivery
Delivery is made in accordance with the conditions of the dealer. The belt
is packed in a personalised box. For transport it is recommended to use
cardboard packaging.
b. Traveling with the airbag belt
It is possible to travel with the belt. However, it is important to know the
legislation in each country before. There are no restrictions for travel by
train, bus or car. By plane, please refer to the IATA regulations (download
at hipguard.eu) and contact the airline company.
c. Replacement & warranty
The belt comes with a 2-year guarantee. If any of the problems described
below are encountered, contact a dealer for repair or replacement of the
product. If Hip'Guard was purchased on the www.hipguard.eu website,
contact customer service via email at: [email protected].
- If the belt or internal materials (fabrics) are torn.
- If a break, crack or corrosion appears on the activation mechanism or on
the gas cartridge.
- If the system does not switch on when the belt is charged and closed (LED
o).
8. Fonctioning & Malfunctioning
a) Activating the airbag belt (just after closing the buckle)
Green LED xed (2 seconds) + 3 rising beeps
 the belt is buckled, initialisation phase will begin
Orange ashing LED (10 seconds)
initialisation phase (the airbag is not activated and
cannot be triggered)
Green LED xed + 2 second beep
 End of the initialisation phase

40 User Guide
b) When the belt is worn
Green ashing LED all 5 seconds
 belt is working properly
No LED + no beeps
 belt is on sleep mode (user in lying down position)
 battery is completely empty (user sitting and standing)
 belt is not buckled
Red ashing LED + 3 downward beeps in a loop
 belt is upside down  correctly reposition the belt (see
p. 25)
Red ashing LED all 5 seconds + 3 downward beeps all
5 minutes
 battery low  recharge the belt (see p. 32)
Red LED xed + 2-second beeps every 2 seconds
 no cartridge, cartridge empty or cartridge incorrectly
connected  check the cartridge and change it if necessary
Red LED xed + beep that does not stop
 one of the airbags has been used  change the belt
If none of these cases are detected,
contact the retailer or the after sales service.
9. Certication
This product is "CE certied (compliance with EU Regulation 2016/425)
by ALIENOR CERTIFICATION, Zone du Sanital, 21 Rue Albert Einstein
CHATELLERAULT-France-notied body no. 2754".