JP2017127406A - Finger grip measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a finger grip measuring apparatus that measures the finger grip of each finger with a pressure-sensitive component and records it as data during a grip measurement so that the relationship between the gripping force of each finger and the gripping force of the whole hand, enabling effective physical condition management, rehabilitation and so on of each subject.SOLUTION: Provided is a finger grip measuring apparatus 11 for measuring a finger gripping force when a grip part 13 is gripped by a hand, where pressure-sensitive members 21 for measuring a finger gripping force are included in said grip part 13 for the respective fingers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a finger grip force measuring apparatus capable of simultaneously measuring a finger grip force value for each finger when measuring a hand grip force.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a medley type grip strength meter is known as a meter for measuring muscle strength (grip strength) of a hand. The measurement with the grip strength meter is widely used as a method for knowing the maximum muscular strength in a stationary state, and also has an advantage that it is easy to compare with other people because the measurement data is abundant. For this reason, the new physical fitness test implementation guidelines implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology are adopted for all age groups of 6-11 years old, 12-19 years old, 20-64 years old, 65-79 years old, It is also used by patients who have undergone functional recovery training due to accidents.

  As the oldest of such grip force meters, there is a mechanical type that shows a load with a needle in proportion to the compression amount of a coil spring. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 discloses an electronic grip force meter including a main body, a movable portion, a spring, and the like, and including a pressure sensor, an output reading unit, and a display. The pressure sensor includes a piezoelectric element or a load cell. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a grip force meter that uses a strain gauge instead of a load cell and can accurately measure even in a low grip force region.

JP 60-122542 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-29507

  In the grip strength meters disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is possible to accurately measure the grip strength of the entire hand, but the grip strength meter is not configured to measure for each finger. By the way, it is said that the power of a hand when a person holds an object with one hand is most strongly generated in the little finger. On the other hand, in the measurement using the conventional grip strength meter, how much force is generated in the fingers and each part of the hand, and the relationship between the force generated in each finger and the grip strength of the entire hand is not clarified.

  As described above, although the overall weight has been reduced and the grip strength display has been improved, the grip strength display shows the entire hand, and the grip strength meter has a structure that measures the finger grip strength of each finger. Does not exist.

  Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to measure the grip strength of each finger with a pressure-sensitive member when measuring grip strength, and to grasp the relationship between the grip strength of each finger and the grip strength of the entire hand by making data, The object is to provide a finger grip measurement device capable of effectively performing physical condition management, rehabilitation and the like of each subject.

  In order to solve the above problems, a finger grip force measuring device of the present invention is a finger grip force measuring device that measures a finger grip force when a grip portion is gripped with a hand, and for measuring the finger grip force on the grip portion. These pressure-sensitive members are provided corresponding to a plurality of fingers, respectively.

  According to the finger gripping force measuring device of the present invention, it is possible to measure the finger gripping force for each finger that cannot be grasped by a conventional gripping force meter through a plurality of pressure sensitive members provided in the grip portion. As a result, muscle weakness and illness that could not be determined by the grip strength value of the entire hand can be detected at an early stage, and subsequent treatment and functional improvement can be effectively performed.

  In addition, by using a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber for the plurality of pressure-sensitive members that detect the finger gripping force of each finger, it can be easily incorporated into the grip portion, and the plurality of pressure-sensitive members are attached to the direction in which each finger attaches. In this way, it is possible to take an optimal measurement posture according to the size of the subject's hand and the gripping motion. As a result, accurate measurement was possible even with a minute change in grip strength of each finger.

It is a top view of the finger grip force measuring device of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the 2nd handle of a finger grip force measuring device. It is a principal part perspective view of the 2nd handle. It is an exploded view of a pressure sensitive member attached to the 2nd handle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state before finger grip force measurement of a pressure-sensitive member (a) and during finger grip force measurement (b). It is a graph which shows the load-voltage characteristic test result of pressure-sensitive conductive rubber. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structural example which consists of a finger grip force measuring apparatus and an external terminal device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of use of a finger grip force measuring apparatus. It is a screen figure of finger grip power measurement data displayed on an external display device. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a data processing means.

  Embodiments of a finger grip force measuring apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. A finger grip force measuring device 11 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has substantially the same shape as a conventional general Smedley type grip force meter, and includes a grip portion 13 formed of a pair of handles that can be gripped with one hand. And the operation unit 14 including the operation switch 15 and the display unit 16 are formed on the same frame 12. The finger grip strength measuring device 11 shown in FIG. 1 is configured based on a conventional general grip strength meter as an example, but is not limited to such a shape.

  The grip portion 13 is positioned inside the first handle 17 that is a part of the frame 12 and the first handle 17, and moves toward the first handle 17 when the grip portion 13 is gripped by hand. And a second handle 18 that is elastically movable. The first handle 17 is provided with the thumb and palm of one hand. As shown in FIG. 2, the second handle 18 corresponds to the four fingers of the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger, respectively. The four pressure-sensitive members 21 are arranged on a straight line and are slidable along the straight line. The subject who performs grip strength measurement presses the four fingers of the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger against the corresponding pressure-sensitive members 21 with the thumb and palm of the first handle 17 attached. The second handle 18 is pulled toward the first handle 17 side. In the present invention, the gripping force of the entire hand is measured by the same method as the normal gripping force measurement except that each pressure-sensitive member 21 is put on the finger, and the finger gripping force of the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger is individually measured. be able to.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second handle 18 has a grip frame 22 in which the pressure-sensitive members 21 are arranged in a straight line, and the grip frame 22 is movable with respect to the frame 12. It is formed by the support part 23 supported by. As shown in FIG. 3A, the grip frame 22 is formed with a long hole 24 for sliding the plurality of pressure-sensitive members 21 along a straight line. As shown in FIG. 1, the support portion 23 is connected to the frame 12 via an attachment member 19. By tightening or loosening an adjustment screw provided on the attachment member 19, the size of the subject's hand is increased. The distance between the second handle 18 and the first handle 17 can be adjusted according to the length of the sheath finger.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, each of the pressure-sensitive members 21 is mounted on the slide base 25 having a convex portion 25 a and a flange portion 25 b that engage with the elongated hole 24, and the slide base 25. The base part 26 having the pedestal 26a and the sensor receiver 26b, and the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28 disposed on the base part 26 and having the electrode part 27 mounted on the lower surface thereof are formed.

  The slide table 25 is formed of a reinforced plastic material such as POM-NC having excellent mechanical strength, and a second flange portion 25b allows the projection 25a inserted into the long hole 24 to slide. Locked to the handle 18. The base 26 serves as a base on which each finger of the subject's hand is placed. A base 26a made of a nylon material such as MC901 formed to a predetermined thickness, and the slide base through the base 26a. 25 and a sensor receiver 26b made of a nylon material such as MC901. The height of each pressure-sensitive member 21 can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the base portion 26.

  The pressure-sensitive conductive material 28 is made of a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber having a predetermined thickness, and an electrode portion 27 made of a copper foil sheet is attached to the back surface of the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28, and the surface on which the electrode portion 27 is attached is the surface of the base portion 26. It is joined to the sensor receiver 26b. Since the pressure-sensitive conductive rubber is formed of an elastic rubber member whose resistance value decreases due to compression accompanying finger pressing, the measurement site can be easily downsized compared to a mechanical sensor such as a strain gauge, and the load can be reduced. However, it has the advantage that it can be measured with high accuracy. The upper surface of the base portion 26 is curved according to the shape of the finger, and the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28 to which the electrode portion 27 is attached is joined along the curved surface, thereby shifting the finger being measured. Can be placed stably without.

  Each pressure-sensitive member 21 can obtain an optimal measurement posture by sliding according to the position where the subject puts each finger on the second handle 18, and when applying force in a gripped state. However, it can be slid naturally with respect to the direction in which the force is applied. This makes it possible to measure the pressure applied to each finger in a natural state according to the size of the subject's hand and the movement of the hand when applying force.

  FIG. 5 (a) shows the state of the pressure-sensitive member 21 before the finger grip force measurement, and FIG. 5 (b) shows the state of the pressure-sensitive member 21 at the time of finger grip force measurement. As shown in FIG. 5A, the pressure-sensitive member 21 is formed so that a gap 20 is formed between the lower end 22a of the grip frame 22 and the sensor receiver 26b. In a state where a finger is lightly put on the piezoelectric conductive material 28, it can slide freely along the long hole 24. On the other hand, during the measurement of the finger grip force as shown in FIG. 5B, the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28 is pressed by the finger force, and the sensor receiver 26b is in close contact with the lower end 22a of the grip frame 22. Each pressure-sensitive member 21 is fixed to the grip frame 22 so that the measurement can be accurately performed without displacement.

  Further, at least one of the plurality of pressure-sensitive members 21 can be fixed in advance. Since the position of the other finger is determined by fixing at least one pressure-sensitive member 21 as described above, the grip portion 13 is gripped even when the hand that grips the grip portion 13 is moved left and right or when measurement is performed again. Measurement can be performed in a certain state without the position of each finger being displaced. For example, if the pressure-sensitive member 21 corresponding to the middle finger or ring finger is fixed at a predetermined position as the home position, the fingers that hold the second handle 18 are attached substantially evenly regardless of the size of the subject's hand. Can do.

  In the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28 provided in each pressure-sensitive member 21, a pressure change of a finger pressing each pressure-sensitive member 21 is detected as a change in resistance value, and a voltage corresponding to this resistance value is disposed below the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28. The electrode portion 27 is generated. A finger grip force value is calculated based on the generated voltage value. The pressure-sensitive conductive rubber which is the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28 is used by cutting it to about 15 × 18 [mm] according to the average finger size. A lead wire 29 extends from the electrode portion 27 and is electrically connected to a transmission module 33 for wireless connection with an external terminal device 32 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a characteristic test result showing the relationship between the load and voltage generated in the pressure-sensitive conductive rubber used as the pressure-sensitive conductive material 28. This characteristic test was performed by placing a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber cut to 15 × 18 [mm] on a test lift table and applying 3.7 [V] with a stabilized power source. In an actual test, a wooden block imitating the shape of a human finger is placed on the pressure-sensitive conductive rubber, the lift base is raised, and the load on the pressure-sensitive conductive rubber is reduced to 0.5 [kg]. It was performed by giving up to -15 [kg] and reading the voltage change with respect to the load with a measuring instrument each time. After this operation was repeated five times, the average value of the voltage values was calculated and graphed to examine the load-voltage change characteristics. According to the test results shown in FIG. 6, the voltage dropped greatly from the load of 0.5 [kg], and this change continued to 7 [kg]. On the other hand, the voltage changes slightly after 7 [kg]. From this result, it was confirmed that the pressure-sensitive conductive rubber used in the test can be measured approximately accurately up to about 7 [kg] with the gripping force of one finger.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the grip strength measurement value for each finger measured by the grip unit 13 is sent to an external terminal device 32 such as a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone via the transmission module 33, and this external terminal device 32 screens. Note that the display unit 16 provided in the finger grip strength measuring device 11 displays the grip strength of the entire one hand.

  A reception module 34 is attached to the external terminal device 32 via a connector such as a USB. The transmission module 33 and the reception module 34 are wirelessly connected using a short-distance frequency, but Wi-Fi connection using a wireless router or the like is also possible.

  In the external terminal device 32, a data processing means for converting the voltage value obtained from each pressure-sensitive member 21 of the finger grip strength measuring device 11 into a kilogram unit which is a grip strength measurement value in real time and displaying the numerical value is provided. I have. In this data processing means, the maximum value of each finger at each measurement time is stored, and a process of comparing with the finger grip force measurement value measured next time can be performed.

  As a measurement procedure, as shown in FIG. 8, first, the subject grasps the grip portion 13 of the finger grip force measuring device 11 and starts measurement. Simultaneously with the start of the measurement, the voltage value [V] of each pressure-sensitive member 21 arranged on the second handle 18 is acquired, and this voltage value [V] is externally transmitted via the transmission module 33 and the reception module 34. It is transmitted to the terminal device 32. On the external terminal device 32 side, the transmitted voltage value [V] is converted into the grip strength measurement value [kg] by the conversion program, and as shown in FIG. 9, the measurement values of the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger, Displays the measurement value of the entire hand in real time. In addition, the maximum value for each measurement is sequentially stored and compared to display the maximum value. As a result, the current measurement value and the past measurement value can be confirmed. Although FIG. 9 shows a screen display configuration corresponding to the screen size of the external terminal device 32, the display configuration can be set corresponding to a personal computer, a smartphone, or the like.

  The program relating to the data conversion and screen display can be installed and used in the external terminal device 32, and the screen design such as display items and arrangement can be arbitrarily selected based on the data sent from the finger grip strength measuring device 11. Can be set to In this embodiment, two screens for left hand and right hand are switched and displayed.

  Next, an outline of data processing means in the external terminal device 32 will be shown. In this data processing means, the voltage value [V] due to the gripping force of each finger acquired by the finger gripping force measuring device 11 is digitally converted, and the gripping force measurement value [kg] is calculated from the voltage value [V]. And the grip strength measurement value of each finger and the whole hand is displayed in real time. In addition, referring to data measured in the past, the maximum value of the grip strength of each finger and the entire hand is displayed and held. For the storage, a predetermined file format can be selected. After the above series of measurements is completed, the display screen is initialized.

  FIG. 10 shows the flow of the data processing means. First, the wireless signal strength is confirmed between the finger gripping force measuring device 11 and the external terminal device 32. If data transmission / reception is possible, a data file is created and then data processing is started. . Thereafter, a finger grip force measurement value is calculated from the received voltage value. The finger grip force measurement value is obtained by using an approximate expression obtained from the result of the load-voltage change characteristic test of the pressure-sensitive conductive rubber shown in FIG. The calculated current measurement value is compared with the previous measurement value, and if it is greater than the previous value, the maximum value is updated to display the grip strength measurement value and the maximum value of each finger and the entire hand. The above data processing is repeatedly executed, and the finger grip force measurement value is displayed in real time. Also, on the display screen of the external terminal device 32, various data displays and operation tabs are set, and the currently displayed data is written to a text file by selecting a save tab. It is. In addition, the maximum value data displayed on the screen can be initialized by selecting the reset tab.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately measure the finger grip force for each finger that cannot be obtained by the conventional grip force measurement. As a result, the muscle weakness or the part where the disease progresses can be clarified, and it can be useful data for future functional improvement and treatment.

  In consideration of the fact that there are individual differences in the finger position of the subject at the time of measuring the finger grip strength, and it is known that the position of each finger affects the measurement value of the grip strength. Since the position of each pressure-sensitive member provided on the handle is slidable corresponding to the finger of the subject, a more accurate finger grip force measurement value can be obtained without imposing a burden on the subject.

  Furthermore, by providing the finger grip strength measurement device with a transmission / reception function, it is possible to display detailed measurement values in real time and compare with past measurement values by the data processing means provided in the external terminal device. You can also.

  The present invention relates to a finger gripping force measuring device used for general physical strength measurement or body measurement for the purpose of improving the function. However, the pressure sensitive member for measuring the gripping force of each finger is composed of a pressure sensitive conductive rubber. Therefore, it can be placed on the grip of various sports equipment such as a golf club having a curved shape and a baseball bat. This can also be applied to the measurement of physical ability in various competitions.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Finger grip force measuring apparatus 12 Frame 13 Grip part 14 Operation part 15 Operation switch 16 Display panel 17 1st handle 18 2nd handle 19 Mounting member 20 Crevice 21 Pressure sensing member 22 Grip frame 22a Lower end 23 Support part 24 Long hole 25 Slide base 25a Convex part 25b Flange part 26 Base part 26a Base 26b Sensor receiver 27 Electrode part 28 Pressure-sensitive conductive material 29 Lead wire 32 External terminal device 33 Transmitting module 34 Receiving module

Claims (12)

A finger gripping force measuring device for measuring finger gripping force when gripping a grip part by hand,
A gripping force measuring device, wherein the grip portion is provided with pressure sensitive members for measuring finger gripping force corresponding to a plurality of fingers.   The grip portion includes a first handle for attaching a thumb and a palm, and a second handle for attaching a finger other than the thumb, and the plurality of pressure-sensitive members are disposed on the second handle. The finger grip strength measuring device according to 1.   The finger grip force measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the first handle is fixed, and the second handle is elastically movable toward the first handle when the grip portion is gripped by a hand.   The finger gripping force measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of pressure sensitive members are arranged on a straight line and are slidable along the straight line.   The finger gripping force measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the second handle is provided with a long hole for sliding the plurality of pressure-sensitive members along a straight line.   The finger grip force measuring device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, and 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of pressure-sensitive members is fixed.   The plurality of pressure-sensitive members include a base portion and a pressure-sensitive conductive material having an electrode portion disposed on the base portion, and adjusting the height of the pressure-sensitive member by changing the thickness of the base portion. Item 7. The finger gripping force measuring device according to any one of Items 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.   The finger gripping force according to claim 7, wherein the pressure-sensitive conductive material detects a change in pressure when the pressure-sensitive member is pressed with a finger as a change in resistance value and converts the change into a corresponding voltage value via the electrode unit. measuring device.   The finger gripping force measuring device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the pressure-sensitive conductive material is made of a pressure-sensitive conductive rubber.   The grip unit, and a display unit that displays finger gripping force for each finger measured by a plurality of pressure-sensitive members provided on the grip unit, the display unit being integrated with the grip unit or the grip unit The finger grip force measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided in a separate external terminal device.   The finger gripping force measuring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the external terminal device includes data processing means for converting and storing a voltage value of each finger detected by the pressure sensitive member into a corresponding finger gripping force measurement value.   The external terminal device displays the grip strength value for the entire hand and each finger in real time, and displays the maximum grip strength value for each of the grip strength values for the entire hand and the finger measured in the past. The finger grip force measuring device according to 10 or 11.

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