CZ28017U1 - System for multipoint monitoring of physical activity - Google Patents

Description

The technical solution concerns devices for multipoint monitoring of physical activity, especially during rehabilitation.

State of the art

Currently, patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, such as stroke, visit a rehabilitation center where they practice intensive movement exercises. The purpose of these exercises is to activate new alternative nerve pathways that would replace the pathways damaged by stroke and allow the patient to re-control the affected parts of the body.

Exercises tend to be intense and patients often spend eight hours a day in the day care center. Exercises are under the supervision of a doctor or therapist. For organizational and time reasons, the therapist is often forced to address multiple patients at the same time and is not able to follow each patient individually throughout the exercise.

The disadvantage of the current situation is the lack of constant supervision of the patient. The correctness of the exercises performed for a considerable part of the exercise depends only on the patient's diligence, honesty and other abilities.

A further disadvantage is the impossibility of an objective assessment of the individual treatment development of each patient in a significant number of patients.

A major disadvantage of the current situation is the lack of patient control during the exercises performed at home. The doctor will not know if the patient has performed the exercises at home, whether they performed them correctly, in the appropriate extent and time.

The essence of the technical solution

The above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks can be largely eliminated by using a system for monitoring physical activity during rehabilitation. The principle of the system is that it comprises at least two sensory modules for sensing movements of the limbs or other parts of the patient's body, adapted to be deployed on the patient's body and / or in diagnostic and therapeutic aids (eg in a stable platform, wherein said sensors are provided with wireless data interfaces for interconnecting said sensors to a wireless data network, and the system further comprises an evaluation unit provided with a wireless data interface for collecting and subsequently analyzing signals from all sensors with a common timeline.

The sensor modules are preferably at least five.

The sensor module preferably comprises an accelerometer, a microcontroller and a wireless data interface.

The evaluation unit preferably comprises a central recording unit for collecting and recording signals comprising a wireless data interface and a signal processing and analysis unit, which may be, for example, a computer, tablet, smartphone, TV with data interface. These units may be interconnected by cable, wireless data interface, or the data transmission may be provided in any other way, for example by means of a recording medium.

It is a biotelemetric system, preferably using the Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN), which can capture data using various peripheral sensory modules located eg on the patient's limbs and / or preferably placed in exercise and rehabilitation diagnostic and therapeutic aids. The measured data is sent via the short-range wireless interface to the central recording unit. Here, the data is stored on a storage medium or transmitted via another data interface in real time to the computer. The data interface used between the central recording unit and the computer can be wireless, eg Bluetooth, ZigBee, but also wired, eg USB, serial port etc.

Each of the peripheral units contains corresponding sensors with digitizing circuits. Their data outputs are connected to the microcontroller. The microcontroller in the peripheral unit performs several functions. First of all control, control, setting and calibration of sensors, further processing of acquired data (filtration, averaging, compression, etc.), further storing of data obtained from the sensor into data packets, operation of communication over wireless short data range interface and last but not least ICE.

The basic part of the central recording unit is a serial data recording module that comes from all the peripheral units via a short-range wireless data interface. Furthermore, the central recording unit comprises a power supply, a battery or a battery and / or an AC adapter, a charging control circuit, a wireless short-range data module for receiving data from peripheral units and a wireless data module for communication with a computer. serial port and user interface (LED, switch).

The monitoring device is designed for monitoring and evaluating movements of limbs or parts of the body, especially during exercise in a ward during rehabilitation of patients after stroke or with musculoskeletal disorders. The monitoring device is further designed for recording and subsequent evaluation of movements of limbs or body parts, especially during rehabilitation exercises performed in the patient's home environment or without direct supervision of the therapist.

Overview of illustrations

Giant. 1 is a schematic representation of the structure of a multi-point tracking system for physical activity in rehabilitation.

Exemplary embodiment

As shown in the attached system structure diagram, FIG. 1, the implemented system consists of several peripheral sensor modules PSM, central recording unit CZJ and connected PC (which can be replaced eg by tablet, smartphone or TV with special interface). Each PSM peripheral sensor module in this particular embodiment includes a three-axis digital accelerometer sensor - accelerometer, digital control circuit - microcontroller, and a short-range wireless interface. The central recording unit CZJ contains a short-range wireless interface, a control digital circuit - microcontroller, recording medium and data interfaces for communication with a PC.

Each PSM peripheral sensor module is equipped with a FreeScale MMA7455L digital three-axis accelerometer with data output on the SPI bus. The accelerometer is connected to the Microchip PIC18F26J11 microcontroller via the SPI bus ("Peripheral Interface").

The microcontroller performs the functions of controlling, controlling and adjusting the accelerometer sensor, further processing the acquired data (filtering, averaging, compression), storing the data obtained from the sensor in data packets, operating the communication over the wireless short data interface and last but not least control LED.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a Bluetooth class 2 interface with a range of approximately 10 m is used as a short-range wireless interface. Laird BTM411 modules are fitted. A suitable configuration of the modules in the peripheral sensor units PSM and the module in the central recording unit CZJ creates a star structure of the wireless data network. All PSM peripheral sensor units alternate at reserved times to transmit data packets containing processed accelerometer signals.

The logomatic 2 v2 datalogger equipped with 32-bit microprocessor from Philips NXP LPC2148 is used as the basis of the central recording unit CZJ. The recording medium is a microSD memory card with a capacity of up to 2 GB. For communication with peripheral sensory devices

-2GB 28017 U1 PSM units again have a Bluetooth module from Laird BTM411. Connection to the computer is possible via the USB interface or a second bluetooth module.

The CZJ central recording unit also contains a 1200 mAh Li-Pol battery as a voltage source (controlled charging of the battery is ensured by the charging circuit, which is part of the Logimatic v2 datalogger), the LTC2950-2 trip circuit and the three LEDs as user interface.

The system also includes firmware (FW) of two kinds. One FW is recorded in each of the peripheral sensor units PSM, the other is contained in the central recording unit CZJ.

Another part of the system is software for visualization of measured data enabling to monitor both raw data, ie signals of all accelerometer sensors in all peripheral units PSM and in all three of their axes (x, y, z), and further software processed signals. The software enables real-time tracking of signals as well as analysis of signals recorded by the central CPU.

Industrial applicability

The system for multipoint monitoring of physical activity during rehabilitation is useful in medicine, especially in the rehabilitation of patients. The purpose of the system is not only to monitor the movement activity of limbs or their parts (elbow, wrist, knee, ankle), but also to monitor movement patterns and patient stability.

Claims (4)

20 1. A system for monitoring physical activity during rehabilitation, characterized in that it comprises at least two peripheral sensory modules (PSMs) for sensing movements of limbs or other parts of the body of the patient, adapted to be deployed on the patient's body and / or in diagnostic or therapeutic devices; wherein said sensors are provided with wireless data interfaces to connect said sensors to a wireless data network, and the system further comprises a charging unit provided with a wireless data interface for collecting and subsequently analyzing signals from all sensors with a common timeline. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the peripheral sensor modules (PSM) are at least five. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is peripheral 30 sensor module (PSM) includes accelerometer, microcontroller and wireless data interface. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the evaluation unit comprises a central recording unit (CPU) for collecting and recording signals comprising a wireless data interface and a signal processing and analysis unit.