KR101943273B1 - Knee brace having pressure sensor and knee brace control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a knee brace which can be easily adjusted. The knee brace having a pressure sensor, according to an aspect of the present invention, comprises: a foot pressure measuring part provided on a user′s shoe and provided with a plurality of pressure sensors; a lower supporter attached underneath a knee; an upper supporter which is spaced apart from the lower supporter and attached above the knee; a link element connecting the upper supporter and the lower supporter; and a lower control part connected to the lower supporter and receiving information from the foot pressure measuring part to adjust a tightening strength of the lower supporter.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a knee brace and a knee brace,

The present invention relates to a knee orthosis and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a knee orthosis having a pressure sensor and a control method of a knee orthosis.

When knee arthritis occurs due to various reasons such as degenerative arthritis or other trauma, when the knee arthritis occurs due to worn or damaged knee cartilage, the load of the body is concentrated on the knee, resulting in considerable pain, and difficulty in walking Follow.

In order to solve this problem, a knee joint assist device has been developed to protect the knee joints and safely walk the patients with knee arthritis.

Such a knee joint assist device usually has an angle adjusting device for connecting the femoral protector and the shin protector so that the patient can perform a knee motion. As a conventional angular adjustment device for a knee joint assist device, there is a registered Korean Utility Model No. 20-431104.

However, in the above-described conventional angle adjusting device of the knee joint assist device, the angle adjusting means for adjusting the angle is made of a plastic material and has a precise and complicated structure, so that when an excessive force is applied during use, So that a failure occurs.

Further, since the conventional knee orthosis requires manually adjusting the angle, it is difficult for the user to adjust the pressure sense and angle applied to the thighs and calves even if the user feels discomfort while walking.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a knee orthosis which can be adjusted more easily.

A knee orthodontic appliance having a pressure sensor according to an aspect of the present invention includes a foot pressure measuring part provided on a user's shoe and provided with a plurality of pressure sensors, a lower support part attached to the lower part of the knee, A link member connecting the upper support and the lower support, and a lower control unit connected to the lower support and receiving the information from the foot pressure measurement unit to adjust the tightening strength of the lower support.

The link member includes a lower link connected to the lower support and an upper link connected to the upper support. The link member includes an angle adjuster for receiving information from the foot pressure measurement unit and controlling the rotation angle of the link member, The angle adjusting unit includes a first rotating plate connected to the lower link, a second rotating plate connected to the upper link, a first stopper controlling rotation of the first rotating plate, and a second stopper disposed at an angle different from that of the first stopper And a second stopper for controlling the rotation of the first rotary plate. A first gear connected to the first stopper, a second gear connected to the second stopper, a drive gear selectively connected to the first gear and the second gear, and an adjusting motor rotating the drive gear .

The foot pressure measuring unit may include an insole inserted into the shoe, a plurality of pressure sensors provided in the insole, and a communication unit transmitting measured information, and the communication unit may transmit information measured by the pressure sensor to the lower control unit and the angle Control unit and smart device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a knee corrective device, comprising: measuring a foot pressure using a pressure sensor installed in an insole of a shoe; measuring an angle of the link, An information transmission step of transmitting the information to the smart device, a tightening control step of adjusting the tightening strength of the lower control part provided on the lower support based on the transmitted information, and an external transmission step of transmitting the pressure information transmitted to the smart device to the server of the medical institution .

In this case, when the pressure on the right side of the insole is high, the tightening control step rotates the tightening motor provided on the lower adjusting part in the direction of increasing the tightening force to push the knee outside, The tightening motor provided on the lower adjuster may be rotated in the direction of reducing the clamping force to push the inside of the knee.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the foot pressure measuring unit, the angle adjusting unit and the lower adjusting unit are provided, and the tightening strength and the rotation angle of the knee can be automatically adjusted based on the foot pressure information.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a knee orthosis according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a plan view showing a foot pressure measuring unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view illustrating a lower controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view illustrating an angle adjusting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a gear and an adjusting motor of an angle adjusting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a knee brace correcting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are denoted by like reference characters throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms " part, "" module," and " module ", etc. in the specification mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation and may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software have.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a knee orthosis according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a foot pressure measuring unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the knee orthosis 100 according to the present embodiment includes a foot pressure measurement unit 10, a support rod 81, a support band 82, a lower support 20, an upper support 30, A link member 40, a lower regulating portion 50, an upper regulating portion 35, and an angle regulating portion 60.

The foot pressure measurement unit 10 includes an insole 11 inserted into the shoe 200 and a plurality of pressure sensors 12 installed in the insole 11. [ The pressure sensor 12 may be arranged at a plurality of uniform intervals so as to measure the pressure applied to the front, back, and right and left with respect to the center of the foot.

In addition, the insole 11 may be provided with a control unit 13 for generating a signal for calculating and controlling the angle and tightening strength according to the measured pressure. The control unit 13 may include a circuit element and a microcomputer. The insole 11 may be provided with a communication unit 16 and a power source 15 for transmitting the information measured by the pressure sensor 12 and the information calculated by the control unit 13. The communication unit 16 may transmit information to the lower control unit 50, the angle control unit 60 and the smart device 300 through Bluetooth communication or the like and the smart device may transmit the information to the server 400 of the medical institution have.

For example, when the pressure on the right side of the insole 11 is high, the controller 13 controls the tightening motor 53 provided on the lower adjuster 50 to move the knee in a forward direction Thereby generating a rotating signal. The control unit 13 controls the rotation of the tightening motor 53 provided in the lower adjustment unit 50 in a reverse direction (direction in which the tightening force is reduced) to push the inside of the knee when the pressure on the left side of the insole 11 is high Can be generated.

When the pressure in the front of the insole 11 is high, a signal for rotating the tightening motor 53 in the forward direction is generated so as to push the knee outward. However, the tightening motor 53 It can rotate.

When the pressure at the rear of the insole 11 is high, a signal is generated to rotate the tightening motor 53 in the reverse direction so as to push the knee outward. However, as compared with the case where the left side pressure is high, It can rotate. The number of revolutions of the tightening motor 53 can be set in consideration of the elasticity and length of the band, the diameter of the wound portion, and the like.

The supporting rod 81 may be fixed to the outer side of the shoe 200 to prevent the falling of the shoe 200. The supporting rod 81 may be formed of two rods. On the other hand, a support band 82 may be connected to the support rod 81 for coupling with the shoe 200, and the support band 82 may be formed in a ring shape to cover the front and rear surfaces of the shoe.

The lower support 20 is connected to the upper end of the support rod 81 and the lower end of the link member 40. The lower support 20 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the lower knee and can be formed of a flexible band. The lower support 20 may be connected to a lower control unit 50 for controlling the tightening force of the lower support 20.

The upper support 30 is connected to the upper end of the link member 40. The upper support 30 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the upper thigh of the knee, and may be formed of a flexible band. An upper regulating portion 35 for controlling the tightening force of the upper supporter 30 may be connected to the upper supporter 30. The upper regulating portion 35 is made of a Velcro type and manually adjusted by the user. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the upper regulating portion 35 may be a ring type or a clip type.

3 is a view illustrating a lower controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3, the lower regulating unit 50 includes a housing 51 and a take-up reel 52 and a take-up reel 52 which are installed inside the housing 51 and in which a band constituting the lower support 20 is wound, And a communication driving unit 56 for receiving information.

The housing 51 may have a cylindrical shape having an internal space. The communication driver 56 receives a signal from the foot pressure measurement unit 10 and generates a signal for rotating the tightening motor 53. When the take-up reel 52 rotates in the forward direction, the band is wound, and when the take-up reel 52 rotates in the reverse direction, the band can be released.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an angle adjusting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a gear and an adjusting motor of an angle adjusting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the link member 40 includes a lower link 41 connected to the lower support 20, and an upper link 42 connected to the upper support 30, The upper link 42 and the lower link 41 are rotatably engaged. Two link members 40 are provided between the upper support 30 and the lower support 20 and an angle adjuster 60 is provided at a portion where the lower link 41 and the upper link 42 are connected.

The angle adjusting unit 60 includes a housing 65, a control communication unit 73, a first rotating plate 61 connected to the lower link 41, a second rotating plate 62 connected to the upper link 42, A second stopper 64 arranged to be inclined at a different angle from the first stopper 63 and controlling the rotation of the first rotating plate 61, a first stopper 63 A second gear 67 connected to the second stopper 64, a drive gear 68 selectively connected to the first gear 66 and the second gear 67, An adjusting motor 71 for rotating the gear 68, and an actuator 75 for moving the adjusting motor 71.

The housing 65 may be substantially cylindrical with an internal space. The control communication unit 73 can receive the foot pressure information and the angle adjustment information from the communication unit. The first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62 are rotatably coupled to each other and the first rotating plate 61 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the second rotating plate 62. The first rotation plate 61 and the second rotation plate 62 are rotatably mounted on the same axis and the control plate 47 is formed on the first rotation plate 61.

The first stopper 63 and the second stopper 64 are spaced apart from each other and inclined at different angles. The first stopper 63 and the second stopper 64 abut against the control projection 47 to control the rotation angle of the first rotation plate 61.

The first gear 66 is connected to the first stopper 63 to rotate the first stopper 63 and the second gear 67 is connected to the second stopper 64 to be connected to the second stopper 64, . The first gear 66 and the second gear 67 may be connected via a bearing and the drive shaft of the second gear 67 may be connected to the second stopper 64 through the first gear 66 .

The driving gear 68 is connected to the adjusting motor 71 and can be selectively coupled to the first gear 66 or the second gear 67. To this end, the drive gear 68 is provided so as to be movable in the axial direction.

The adjusting motor 71 is connected to the driving gear 68 to rotate the driving gear 68 and may be a stepping motor. An actuator 75 for moving the adjusting motor 71 in the axial direction is connected to the adjusting motor 71. When the adjusting motor 71 is moved by the actuator 75, (66) or the second gear (67). Accordingly, the rotation angle of the knee can be automatically controlled by the single adjustment motor 71. [

However, the adjustment of the angle may be performed manually. In this case, the angle adjusting portion may be the same as the manual angle adjusting portion of the conventional general knee orthodontic appliance.

Hereinafter, a knee brace control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a knee brace correcting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

1 and 6, the knee correcting device control method according to the present embodiment includes a foot pressure measurement step S101, an information transmission step S102, a tightening control step S103, an angle control step S104, And a transmission step S105.

The foot pressure measuring step S101 measures the foot pressure using the pressure sensor 12 provided on the insole 11 of the shoe 200. The foot pressure measuring step S101 is performed in the foot pressure measuring unit 10 and the foot pressure measuring step S101 may generate a signal for calculating and adjusting the angle and tightening strength according to information on the measured pressure.

The information transmission step S102 transmits the measured pressure information to the angle adjusting unit 60, the lower adjusting unit 50, and the smart device 300 that adjust the angle of the link. The information transmission step (S102) can transmit information through Bluetooth communication or the like using the communication unit 16. [

The tightening control step S103 adjusts the tightening strength of the lower support 20 based on the transmitted information. The tightening strength of the lower support 20 can be adjusted by the tightening motor 53.

The angle control step S104 controls the rotation angle of the link member 40 based on the transmitted information. The angle control step S104 may adjust the angle of rotation by rotating the first stopper 63 and the second stopper 64 of the angle adjuster 60. However, in the case of manually controlling the angle, the angle control step (S104) may be omitted.

The external transmission step (S105) transmits the pressure information transmitted to the smart device (300) to the server (400) of the medical institution. The external transmission step S105 may transmit the information transmitted to the smart device 300 using the application stored in the smart device 300, in real time or periodically, to the server 400 of the institution. Accordingly, the medical staff of the medical institution can remotely control the tightening strength and the angle based on the information transmitted to the server 400.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the foot pressure can be measured using the pressure sensor, and the tightening strength and the adjusting angle can be easily controlled using the foot pressure information.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, It belongs to the scope of right.

100: knee orthosis
10: Foot pressure measurement part
11: Insole
12: Pressure sensor
13:
15: Power supply
16:
20: Lower support
30: upper support
35:
40: Link member
41: Lower link
42: Upper link
50:
51: Housing
52:
53: Tightening motor
56:
60:
61: first rotating plate
62: second rotating plate
63: First stopper
64: Second stopper
65: Housing
66: First gear
67: second gear
68: drive gear
71: Regulating motor
73:
75: Actuator
81: Support rod
82: Support band
200: Shoes
300: Smart device
400: Server

Claims (5)

A foot pressure measuring unit installed on a user's shoe and provided with a plurality of pressure sensors;
A lower support attached below the knee;
An upper support spaced apart from the lower support and attached to an upper portion of the knee;
A link member connecting the upper supporter and the lower supporter; And
A lower regulating part connected to the lower supporting part and receiving information from the foot pressure measuring part to regulate the tightening strength of the lower supporting part;
And a knee correcting device having a pressure sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the link member includes a lower link connected to the lower support and an upper link connected to the upper support,
The link member is connected to an angle adjusting unit for receiving information from the foot pressure measuring unit and controlling the rotation angle of the link member,
The angle adjusting unit may include a first rotating plate connected to the lower link, a second rotating plate connected to the upper link, a first stopper controlling rotation of the first rotating plate, a second stopper disposed at an angle different from that of the first stopper, The second stopper controlling the rotation of the first stopper. A first gear connected to the first stopper, a second gear connected to the second stopper, a drive gear selectively connected to the first gear and the second gear, and an adjusting motor rotating the drive gear The knee brace having a pressure sensor. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the foot pressure measuring unit includes an insole inserted into the shoe, a plurality of pressure sensors provided in the insole, and a communication unit transmitting measured information,
Wherein the communication unit transmits information measured by the pressure sensor to the lower controller, the angle controller, and the smart device. A foot pressure measuring step of measuring the foot pressure using a pressure sensor installed in the insole of the shoe;
An information transmitting step of transmitting the measured pressure information to an angle adjusting unit, a lower adjusting unit, and a smart device for adjusting an angle of a link;
A tightening and adjusting step of adjusting the tightening strength of the lower adjusting part provided on the lower support based on the transmitted information; And
An external transmission step of transmitting the pressure information transmitted to the smart device to a server of the medical institution;
The knee orthodontic appliance comprising: 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the tightening control step rotates the tightening motor provided in the lower adjusting part in a direction in which the clamping force is increased so as to push the knee outside when the pressure on the right side of the insole is high and when the pressure on the left side of the insole is high Wherein the tightening motor provided on the lower adjusting part is rotated in a direction of reducing the clamping force to push the inside of the knee.

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