JP3456613B2 - Muscle strength measurement device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Table of Contents] The present invention will be described in the following order. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION Conventional technology Problems to be Solved by the Invention (FIG. 13) Means for Solving the Problems (FIG. 10) Mode for Carrying Out the Invention (FIGS. 1 to 12) The invention's effect

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a muscle strength measuring apparatus, and is particularly suitable for application when performing a bi-digital O-ring test.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in medical diagnosis, a method called a bi-digital O-ring test (hereinafter referred to as an O-ring test) has been known as a method of diagnosing an abnormal part of a subject, which is a patient ( U.S. Pat.No. 5,188,107
issue). This is a test in which the first finger (thumb) of one hand of the subject is opposed to one finger that satisfies the conditions of the other second, third, fourth, and fifth fingers, and these two fingers make a ring (O-ring). To make people to make continuous efforts. The examiner tries to open the two fingers from both sides, while judging the strength of the subject's fingers to keep them as they are.

This O-ring test is a biosensor test utilizing the muscle tonus state, and when the subject's finger is pointing at an arbitrary organ representative point, the O-ring opens when the muscle strength of the finger weakens and the organ is abnormal. It means that there is, and when it does not open strongly, it means that it is normal. In the case of the thymus, it means the opposite. This will allow you to discover abnormal parts of your body.

When the subject is inspected by holding a sample of a specific substance in his / her hand by the same procedure, if the same substance is present in the living body of the subject, the muscle strength of the finger becomes weak and the O-ring opens. This is interpreted as a phenomenon that occurs when substances resonate with each other, and is called a resonance test. Using this method, bacteria, viruses, cancer, in vivo metabolites, hormones,
The distribution of neurotransmitters, heavy metals, drugs, etc. in the body can be judged, and diseases can be diagnosed. The O-ring test is an auxiliary diagnostic method performed as a medical examination before the diagnosis by the usual medical latest inspection equipment.

In fact, in the O-ring test, it is possible to know what kind of abnormality is present in which organ by examining the subject. First, in terms of diagnosis, detection of abnormal organs in the body and drawing on the surface of the body (imaging), search for causes of abnormal areas, detection of bacteria and viruses, early cancer and diagnosis of localization, in vivo metabolites, hormones, neurotransmitters It can be used for imaging, etc., and changes over time, and can be a diagnostic aid for causes of various diseases, especially electromagnetic wave diseases and heavy metal deposition.

Next, the O-ring test shows how to cure this disease. In terms of treatment, determination of effective drug and determination of optimal dose, biodistribution and time course of drug, judgment of side effects,
It is possible to judge the efficacy and side effects associated with the combined use of multiple drugs. Thus, the O-ring test gives useful guidelines for diagnosis and treatment in medical treatment. In practice, it is possible to judge the compatibility of the drug with the body, to judge the abnormal part of the body, and arbitrary and specific objects. It is applied to judge whether and have the same information.

[0008]

By the way, such an O-ring test is formed by the fingers of the hand, which is a voluntary muscle that can be controlled by a human being, and there is a possibility that an uncertain factor may enter. For example, a subject who forms an O-ring with two fingers or an examiner who attempts to remove the O-ring may perform an O-ring test with uneven force depending on his or her intention.

[0009] Further, such voluntary muscles tend to cause fatigue, and even if the examinee intends to pull the force even if the examinee intends to pull the force evenly, there is no objective index, so there is a hint effect or other factors. Consciousness may be involved. Therefore, the test result itself of the O-ring test may not be objectively reliable.

Further, in this type of O-ring test, it is necessary to control the speed of opening the O-ring of the subject with high precision, but this speed is very high and it is difficult for the examiner to control this speed. At the same time, it is not possible to feel the change in muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger forming the O-ring.
As described above, it was impossible to objectively perform the O-ring test in the manual O-ring test.

As an apparatus for carrying out this O-ring test objectively, there is one which attempts to open the O-ring by utilizing an air bag of an automatic blood pressure monitor (Japanese Patent Application No. 5-343514).
issue). In this O-ring tester, a bag at the tip of the tube is inflated and the internal pressure is measured by a pressure pump and a pressure sensor in an electrically shielded main body, and the two fingers forming the O-ring are brought into contact with each other. The separated state is detected by the inflow / outflow state of gas from the opening closed by each finger, and the muscle force before and after the opening of the O-ring is secondarily measured.

Further, as an apparatus for carrying out an O-ring test objectively, there is one that attempts to open the O-ring by utilizing the elasticity of rubber (Japanese Patent Application No. 6-187816). This O
In the ring tester, by gripping with your entire hand,
Measure the change in muscle force before and after the finger is released based on the detection value of the pressure sensor that abuts on the fingertips of the two fingers in the grip-shaped gripping case where the ratchet catches with the built-in spring crushed. The result of determination made by comparison with the measurement value stored in advance is displayed.

Furthermore, a pair of finger guides that move along the external force applied to the O-ring formed by the subject are provided, and a load is applied to the finger guides by a mechanism that constantly applies a constant load regardless of how much the fingers are opened. There is an O-ring tester that allows a subject to accurately carry out an O-ring test independently by measuring the load when they antagonize each other (Japanese Patent Application No. 6-197215).

Further, two rigid rods are inserted between the thumb and the other finger forming the O-ring, one rod is fixed, and the other rod is moved using a pulley or the like with a weight attached. The O-ring tester is designed to generate a force to open the O-ring, and measure an external force to open the O-ring by a pressure sensor provided between the thumb and the fixed rod. There is.

However, in this type of O ring tester, O
Since the muscular force corresponding to the force for further opening the O-ring is measured when the ring is opened to some extent, for example, as shown in FIG. It is not possible to measure the change in the initial muscle strength). Also, the O-ring opening speed could not be changed as in the O-ring test by the technique.

Therefore, if a minute change in muscle force at the time when the fingertips of the two fingers forming the O-ring are released and the speed at which the O-ring is released can be changed, it has never been obtained before. There is a possibility that new information will be obtained, and it is highly conceivable that this will dramatically improve the reliability and objectivity of the O-ring test.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to propose a muscle strength measuring device which can remarkably improve the reliability and objectivity of the O-ring test.

[0018]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, the external force generating means is configured to move the O-rings at a speed that allows the O-rings to be opened within a time period in which the subject cannot be aware of opening the O-rings. An external force is applied to one member of the O-ring opening means formed of a member, the external force measuring means provided at a predetermined position of the one member measures the external force applied to one member, and the muscle force measuring means is The muscle force of the thumb and the other one finger is measured based on the output of the external force measuring means.

[0019]

Therefore, according to the present invention, the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger can be measured at a level where the subject cannot perceive the opening of the O-ring.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 generally indicates the structure of a muscle force measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a uniaxial stage 2
A plate-shaped rigid member 3 for opening an O-ring formed by the thumb and the other finger and a plate-shaped elastic member 4 made of, for example, vinyl chloride are provided so as to face each other at a predetermined position on the upper surface, The direction in which the elastic member 4 is indicated by the arrow X (hereinafter referred to as X
Called direction) is designed to be able to move.

The stage 2 is composed of a casing made of a conductor such as aluminum or copper and is grounded. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the electromagnetic field generated from the variable speed motor 5 provided inside the stage 2 and the power line for supplying power to the variable speed motor 5, etc.
It is designed to prevent the ring test from being adversely affected.

Inside the stage 2, a variable speed motor 5, a threaded shaft 6 and a bearing 7 for supporting the shaft 6 are provided.
Is provided, and the variable speed motor 5 rotationally drives the shaft 6 to move in the X direction and the direction opposite to the X direction (hereinafter, referred to as X ′ direction) according to the rotation of the shaft 6. A slider 8 is provided. A part of the slider 8 is exposed from an opening provided on the upper surface of the stage 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the variable speed motor 5 includes:
A motor control device 9 composed of a pulse control motor adapted to accurately position the slider 8 is connected, and the variable speed motor 5 controls the speed and movement of the slider 8 under the control of the motor control device 9. The distance can be controlled arbitrarily. Further, the variable speed motor 5 is provided with a zero return point switch (not shown), which causes the slider 8 to move to the origin (the position shown in FIG. 1).
Can be returned to.

The slider 8 is provided with a slider 11 via a shaft 10.
The slider 11 can move on the rail 12 fixed to the upper surface of the stage 2 in the X direction and the X'direction by a distance substantially the same as the moving distance of the slider 8. That is, the slider 11 moves in the X direction and the X ′ direction on the rail 12 in conjunction with the slider 8.

A bottom portion 4A of the elastic member 4 having an L-shaped cross section is fixed on the slider 11 by a screwing method so that the elastic member 4 can be easily replaced. Therefore, this elastic member 4 is interlocked with the slider 11 and X
Direction and X'direction. A rigid member 3 having an inverted L-shaped cross section is provided at the upper end of the stage 2 so as to face the elastic member 4. The rigid member 3 has a bottom portion 3A fixed to the upper surface of the stage 2, and a rigid portion 3A by a support portion 3B.
Supports the whole.

The rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 have mortar-shaped holes 13 and 14 slightly smaller than the diameter of the fingertip of the subject.
Are provided so as to oppose each other at the same height from the upper surface of the stage 2, and when performing muscle force measurement, the test subject makes the thumb and the other finger abut against the holes 13 and 14 so that the rigid member 3 and the elastic member are elastic. An O-ring is formed by sandwiching the member 4 with fingertips.

Since the subject can easily position the fingertip forming the O-ring, the O-ring can be accurately formed. Moreover, since the thumb and the fingertips of the other one finger forming the O-ring can be brought into contact with each other through the holes 13 and 14, the subject can confirm whether or not the O-ring is formed tightly by the feeling of the fingertip. Therefore, the O-ring can be stably formed. Further, the size of the ring of the O-ring formed by the thumb and the other one finger differs depending on the combination of the fingers and individual differences, but the thumb and the one finger of the other finger forming the O-ring have the holes 13, Since the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 are sandwiched by being abutted against 14, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the size of the ring of the O-ring due to the combination of fingers or individual differences.

As described above, in the muscle force measuring device 1, the variable speed motor 5 is controlled under the control of the motor control device 9.
Rotates the shaft 6 to move the slider 8 and the slider 11 in the X direction.
By moving in the direction, a tensile force is applied to the elastic member 4 fixed on the slider 11, and thereby an external force that tries to open the O-ring is generated. In this case, since the variable speed motor 5 can rotate the shaft 6 at a constant speed as described above, a constant external force can be applied to the elastic member 4 and the fingertip of the O-ring can be stably released. You can

A surface 3C of the rigid member 3 facing the elastic member 4
A pressure sensor 15 is provided near the lower side of the hole 13.
The pressure sensor 15 includes a rigid member 3 and an elastic member 4 by the subject.
Put your thumb and other fingertip into the holes 13 and 14 of the
A ring is formed, and the pressing force of the fingertip when the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 are sandwiched is detected. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the subject contacts the holes 13 and 14 with a thumb and another finger to form an O-ring and applies force to the fingertip, the pressure sensor 15 causes the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 to move. The pressure sensor 15 detects the pressing force of the fingertip that forms the O-ring.

By providing the pressure sensor 15 near the fingertips of the thumb and the other one finger forming the O-ring in this way,
Since the operation of “putting a force on the fingertip”, which is a condition for measuring the pressing force of the fingertip forming the O-ring, can be performed while monitoring the measurement value of the pressure sensor 15, The pressure can be measured reliably.

By the way, in the method of inserting the two metal rods into the ring of the O-ring formed by the thumb and the other one finger and measuring the pressing force of the fingertip, the O-ring ring is pressed at the start of the measurement of the pressing force. Since there is play between the metal rod and the pressing force of the fingertip cannot be measured accurately, the position of the metal rod should be adjusted so that the inner circumference of the ring of the O-ring comes into contact with the metal rod in the preparation stage for measurement. Need to be adjusted. In this case, since the metal rod is positioned so that the ring of the O-ring is slightly stretched by the metal rod, a pressure sensor for measuring the pressing force of the fingertip of the O-ring. Can not be sandwiched.

On the other hand, in the muscle force measuring device 1, the O-ring is formed by bringing the thumb and the fingertip of the other finger into contact with the holes 13 and 14 of the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 which are plate-shaped. By doing so, the O
There is no need to adjust the ring, and the pressure sensor 15 provided near the fingertip of the O-ring can reliably detect the pressing force of the fingertip.

Elastic member 4 facing surface 3C of rigid member 3
A strain gauge 16 is provided on the surface 4 </ b> B opposite to the surface. The strain gauge 16 is provided at a position corresponding to a portion where the elastic member 4 bends when the elastic member 4 receives a tensile force (an external force to open the O-ring) in the X direction. That is, the thumb and the other finger are brought into contact with the holes 13 and 14 of the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 to form an O ring, and the variable speed motor 5 is driven to open the O ring to the elastic member 4. When an external force is generated, the elastic member 4 bends little by little, and the strain gauge 1 produces a strain amount corresponding to the bending degree.
6 is used for detection.

In this case, the strain gauge 16 is used within the restoring range of the elastic member 4. This allows
By measuring the amount of strain of the elastic member 4 (numerical value of the strain gauge 16) and the magnitude of the external force applied to the elastic member 4 in advance, the muscle force of the thumb and the other finger can be measured with high accuracy. . In this way, by providing the strain gauge 16 on the elastic member 4, the muscle force of the thumb and the other finger forming the O-ring can be quantified as the strain amount and can be measured with high accuracy.

As described above, two metal rods are put in the ring of the O-ring formed by the thumb and the other finger, one metal rod is fixed, and the other metal rod is attached to a motor or the like. If the pressure sensor is used to measure the tensile force applied to the metal rod when it is slid by power, the pressure sensor may be damaged by pressure exceeding the specified value. Therefore, when performing the O-ring test by such a method, it is necessary to use a pressure sensor that takes the maximum value of the applied pressure into consideration, and thus it is not possible to measure a small pressure change. On the other hand, in the muscle force measuring device 1, since the strain sensor 16 is provided on the plate-shaped elastic member 4 and the muscle force of the finger is quantified as the strain amount of the elastic member 4 as described above, a small amount of initial muscle force or the like is generated. It is possible to detect changes in muscle strength.

In practice, the pressure sensor 15 and the strain gauge 16 are connected to a measuring device (not shown), which is, for example, a personal computer, via wiring (not shown), and the measuring device is the pressure sensor 15 and the strain sensor 16. Based on the output of the strain gauge 16, changes in the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger are measured. The measurement data measured by this measuring device is stored in the measuring device as a file.

FIG. 4 shows output data of the pressure sensor 15 and the strain gauge 16 obtained as a result of measuring the muscle strength using the muscle strength measuring device 1. In this case, the muscle strength measurement is a state in which an O-ring is formed by the thumb and the other finger of the subject, and the external force that tries to open the O-ring and the voluntary muscles of the subject who wants to maintain the O-ring are antagonized. Done in.

In FIG. 4, the solid line (A) indicates the pressure sensor 1.
5 and the dotted line (B) represents the output of the strain gauge 16. As shown in FIG. 4, after the measurement, the elastic member 4 began to distort 1.33 seconds later, and the output of the pressure sensor 15 became “0” after 1.96 seconds, and the thumb and the other finger were completely contacted and separated. I understand. The numerical value representing the strain amount of the elastic member 4 at this time is about 450. The numerical value indicating the strain amount is a value relative to the strain gauge 16. In other words, the strain amount of the elastic member 4 varies depending on the material of the elastic member 4 even when the same external force is applied, and therefore, the relative value is set so that any elastic member can be used for relative comparison. Represents

The processing of the output data of the pressure sensor 15 and the strain gauge 16 in the measuring device will be described below. As shown in FIG. 5, assuming that the solid line (A) is the output data of the pressure sensor 15 and the solid line (B) is the output data of the strain gauge 16, time T1 is the time when the elastic member 4 starts to be strained, and time T2 is the pressure sensor. When the output of 15 becomes "0",
That is, the time when the thumb and the other finger are completely released, S1 is the strain amount when the elastic member 4 starts to be strained, and S2 is the strain amount.
Represents the amount of strain at the time when the output of the pressure sensor 15 reaches “0”, that is, when the thumb and the other finger are completely released. Further, T2-T1 is the time required until the O-ring is completely opened (hereinafter, this is represented by ΔT), S2-S
1 represents the amount of strain of the elastic member 4 that has occurred until the thumb and the other finger are completely released (hereinafter, this is represented by ΔS).

When such an experiment was carried out a plurality of times, it was found that the strain amount S2 was the most stable as a parameter, and this was used as the parameter of the initial muscle force. Therefore, if the strain amount S2 can be converted into the external force F, the initial muscle force can be measured.

Then, as a result of examining the relationship between the strain amount S2 at the time when the fingertip of the O-ring is completely released and the external force F applied to the elastic member 4, the result shown in FIG. 6 can be obtained. In this case, the external force F applied to the elastic member 4 is
Four types of weights shown in (A), namely 0.96 [Kgf] (9.
4 [N]), 1.92 [Kgf] (18.8 [N]), 2.88 [Kgf
] (28.2 [N]) and 3.84 [Kgf] (37.6 [N]) were used to measure the strain amount S2 for each weight 10 times, and the average value of the strain amount S2 obtained for each weight (in the figure) (Indicated by black circles)
The result of plotting is shown in the graph of FIG.

Based on such measurement results, the distortion amount S2
And the weight of the weight, that is, the external force F applied to the elastic member 4.
When the correlation r with was calculated, the result r = 0.9995 was obtained. That is, it can be seen that the correlation between the strain amount S2 and the external force F applied to the elastic member 4 is very closely related. Based on this correlation, when the four points plotted in FIG. 6B are approximated by straight lines, the following equation (1)

[Equation 1] Can be obtained.

Thus, the external force F applied to the elastic member 4 at the time when the O-ring is completely opened can be obtained based on the strain amount S2. Therefore, the measuring device uses the strain gauge 16 when the output data from the pressure sensor 15 reaches "0", that is, when the thumb and the other finger are completely separated.
The output data from, that is, the distortion amount S2 is converted into the external force F using the equation (1).

From the above measurement results, the numerical value of the minute section (ΔT), which is the initial muscle force area until the thumb forming the O-ring and the other finger are completely separated, has a great correlation with the strain amount S2. And the following equation (2)

[Equation 2] I was able to get

Therefore, under the condition that the variable speed motor 5 is driven at a constant speed and the elastic member 4 is used within the elastic limit, instead of directly reading the strain amount S2, the times T1 and T2 are measured to obtain ΔT. The strain amount S2 can be obtained by finding and substituting the value of ΔT into the equation (2). By substituting the strain amount S2 thus obtained into the equation (1), the strain amount S2 obtained by the strain gauge 16 can be converted into the external force F.

Therefore, instead of directly reading the distortion amount S2, the times T1 and T2 are measured, and the time ΔT required until the thumb and the other finger are completely released is obtained, whereby the distortion amount S2 is measured. Since the strain amount S2 can be obtained without using the strain gauge 16, an amplifier (expensive) dedicated to the measuring instrument necessary for accurately reading the output value of the strain gauge 16 is not required,
The configuration of the component strength measuring device 1 can be simplified.

As described above, the measuring device measures the strain amount S2 when the output data from the pressure sensor 15 becomes "0", and converts the strain amount S2 into the external force F using the equation (1). Calculate initial muscle strength. Further, the time ΔT required until the fingertip of the O-ring is completely released is calculated from time T1 when the elastic member 4 starts to be distorted and time T2 when the thumb and the other finger are completely released, and the calculation is performed. The initial muscle force is calculated by substituting the result ΔT into the equation (2) to calculate the strain amount S2 and converting it into the external force F using the equation (1).

Therefore, in the muscle force measuring device 1, the pressure sensor 1
5 and the output data obtained by the strain gauge 16 are processed by the measuring device, it is possible to detect a change in muscle force that cannot be sensed by the O-ring test by the technique.

Now, a muscle strength measuring method using the muscle strength measuring device 1 will be described. First, prior to the measurement, the power of each device is turned on, and the balance of the strain gauge 16 is set by the measuring device. Next, the thumb and the other finger of the subject are placed in the hole 1 of the rigid member 3.
3, the elastic member 4 is brought into contact with the hole 14 to sandwich the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 with fingertips to form an O-ring, and then the variable speed motor 5 is driven to open the O-ring to the elastic member 4. Give external force. At the same time, output data obtained from the pressure sensor 15 and the strain gauge 16 are measured by a measuring device.

The measuring device converts the strain amount S2 obtained from the strain gauge 15 into the external force F applied to the elastic member 4 using the formula (1), or obtains ΔT and uses the formula (2). After calculating the strain amount S2 by using the equation (1), the calculated strain amount S2 is converted into the external force F and stored as a file. Since the point of action to which the external force for opening the O-ring is applied is the elastic member 4, the force applied to the point of action increases proportionally as the moving distance of the slider 8 increases.
While the force of the fingertips of the ring is antagonized, the thumb and the other finger are not released and the O-ring can be maintained. Then O
The O-ring begins to open when sufficient external force is accumulated at the point of action to open the ring.

That is, by using the elastic member 4,
When an external force is applied to the elastic member 4, the O-ring is not opened while the elastic member 4 can withstand this external force, but even during that time, the elastic member 4 is greatly bent and the strain amount is increased.
Eventually, the O-ring is released, but the external force applied to the elastic member 4 at this time is about 100 [N] of the maximum muscle force of the finger.
Therefore, if a material that can withstand a bending external force of 100 [N] is used due to the characteristics of the elastic member 4, it is possible to prevent the elastic member 4 from being broken by the maximum muscle force of the finger. In addition to this, it is possible to select a specific strain gauge 16 that matches the amount of strain due to the bending of the elastic member 4, so that the specific strain gauge 16 that can accurately measure the initial muscle force when the finger of the O-ring is released. Can be used.

In this embodiment, the muscle force of the thumb and the other finger is measured while changing the speed of the variable speed motor 5, and the reference muscle force of the muscle force of the thumb and the other finger measured at each speed ( (Described later)) is determined. That is, the subject's O
The speed of the variable speed motor 5 (hereinafter referred to as the first measurement speed) is set by the motor control device 9 so that the time required to reach the external force required to open the ring is about 0.1 seconds. Then, the muscle force of the thumb and the other finger is measured, and the variable speed motor is controlled by the motor control device 9 so that the time required to reach the external force required to open the O-ring of the subject is about 0.9 seconds. Speed of 5 (hereinafter this is the second
(Measurement speed of) and set the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger.

The first measurement speed and the second measurement speed are speeds set in correspondence with the muscle reaction of the living body. That is, the muscular response of the living body consists of a short latency (about 20 to 30 [ms]) with the spinal cord as the reflex center (hereinafter referred to as the spinal reflex) and a long latency via the upper centers such as the brain. It is known that there is a reflex at time (about 40 to 60 [ms]) (hereinafter, this is called a brain reflex), and in the case of the spinal reflex, it does not rise to human consciousness (“muscle movement control system”). 40th
Page, Nozomu Hoshimiya, Kenzo Akazawa, ed., Shokodo). It is known that the time required from the time when a signal to act is issued until the action actually occurs (reaction start time) is around 0.2 seconds, although it depends on gender and age. 4th edition of the standard value of physical fitness, pp. 181, Tokyo Metropolitan University Lab.

From the above, the reflex reaction that does not go through the conscious processing of the upper centers such as the brain (that is, the consciousness does not intervene) occurs within 0.2 seconds or the conscious processing of the upper centers such as the brain. Do (that is, consciously intervene)
The brain processing reaction is considered to occur during the reflex reaction time + α (for example, α = 0.5 seconds or more). Therefore, in the case of the first measurement speed, the time until the O-ring opens is short,
Measure the muscle strength at the reflex level (that is, the level at which the subject cannot recognize the opening of the O-ring) reflected on the fingertip without the brain's judgment after the external force is sensed by the thumb and the other fingertip. In the case of the second measurement speed, the O-ring was given a sufficiently long time to open, so the brain judged this after the external force was sensed by the thumb and the tip of the other finger. It is possible to measure the muscular strength at the brain processing level where the result is reflected on the fingertip (that is, the level at which the subject can be aware of the opening of the O-ring).

Here, the pressure sensor 15 and the strain sensor when the speed of the variable speed motor 5 is set so that the O-ring opens in about 0.3 seconds (the speed at which the subject can recognize the opening of the O-ring at the normal measurement speed). 16, the output data of the pressure sensor 15 and the strain sensor 16 at the first measurement speed, and the output data of the pressure sensor 15 and the strain sensor 16 at the second measurement speed, respectively. 9 shows. From FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the change in the initial muscular strength when the thumb forming the O-ring and the other one finger are separated (ΔT)
It turns out that is different.

Therefore, in the present invention, a change in muscle force at a level that is conventionally undetectable as an initial muscle force is measured, and the change in initial muscle force corresponds to the presence or absence of consciousness such as reflex reaction and brain processing reaction. It is intended to further improve the reliability and objectivity of the O-ring test by performing the measurements at the first measurement speed and the second measurement speed, respectively, and comprehensively judging the measurement results.

The muscle strength measuring apparatus 1 and the muscle strength measuring method according to the embodiment of the present invention using the measuring apparatus will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, as a preparatory step, there are individual differences in the time of reflex reaction (hereinafter referred to as reflex reaction time). Therefore, for example, by applying vibration to the fingertip and pressing the button when the vibration is felt Measure the reflex reaction time of. Further, the speed of the variable speed motor 5 (first measurement speed) is determined so that ΔT becomes the reflex reaction time, and the speed of the variable speed motor 5 (second measurement speed) becomes so that ΔT becomes the brain processing reaction time. Decide.

After such preparation is completed, the actual measurement of muscle strength is started. That is, the muscle strength measurement is started from step SP1, and in step SP2, the subject inputs and sets the reflex reaction time of the subject, for example, 0.2 seconds, which was obtained in the above-mentioned preparatory stage, using the keyboard of the measuring device or the like. Next, in step SP3, the subject performs a predetermined operation on the motor control device 9 so that the variable speed motor 5 is driven at the first measurement speed and the second measurement speed obtained in the above-mentioned preparation stage. To do.

When the necessary conditions are set in this way, in step SP4, the measuring device operates at the first measuring speed O
Based on the output of the strain gauge 16 obtained when the ring is opened, the initial muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger is measured, and in step SP5, the reference of the initial muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger measured in step SP4. Determine strength to strength.
Here, the reference muscular strength is the initial muscular strength value of the thumb and the other one finger measured in step SP4 in a state in which no stimulus for measurement is applied to the body of the subject.

Subsequently, when the subject returns the slider 8 to the initial position (the position shown in FIG. 1) by the zero return switch of the variable speed motor 5, the measuring device causes the O-ring at the second measuring speed at step SP6. The initial muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger is measured based on the output of the strain gauge 16 obtained when the user is opened, and in step SP7, step SP6
The strength of the initial muscular strength of the thumb and the other one finger measured in 1. is determined with respect to the reference muscular strength.

The determination result of the strength of the muscular strength in step SP5 and step SP7 is displayed as "0", "+" or "-" on a display connected to the measuring device, for example. "0" represents a state in which the O-ring is closed with the same force as the standard muscular force, "+" represents that the O-ring is closed with a force stronger than the standard muscular force, and "-" is weaker than the standard muscular force. Indicates that the O-ring is closed by force.

Subsequently, in step SP8, the measuring device makes a comprehensive judgment based on the judgment results in steps SP5 and SP7. In this case, the measuring device has nine combinations of the determination results of step SP5 and step SP7 as shown in FIG. 11, so that the determination is made comprehensively according to these combinations. In the case of this embodiment, the comprehensive judgment is made when the judgment results of step SP5 and step SP7 match (both are "+",
Only in the case of "-" and "0"), "+", "-", and "0" are determined as the determination result.

Here, the overall judgment in step SP8 is to determine the abnormal part of the body, the suitability of the drug for the body, the judgment as to whether or not an arbitrary object and a specific object have the same information, etc. The method of comprehensive judgment that is most suitable for This can further improve the reliability of the test result of the O-ring test.

In the above configuration, each subject is O
Try to open the O-ring at such a speed that the O-ring can be opened within a time period when the O-ring cannot be opened and at a speed that allows the O-ring to be opened during a time period when the subject can be aware of the O-ring opening. An external force is applied to the elastic member 4, and the initial muscle force of the thumb and the other finger at the time when the thumb and the other finger are completely separated at each speed is measured based on the output of the strain gauge 16, and the first and The strength of the initial muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger at the time when the thumb and the other finger are completely separated at the second measurement speed is determined with respect to the reference muscle strength, and based on the determination result obtained for each speed. The strength of the initial muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger relative to the reference muscle strength is determined.

Therefore, in the muscle force measuring device 1, the initial muscle force of the thumb and the other finger at the reflex reaction level not mediated by the subject's consciousness and the thumb and the other one at the brain processing reaction level mediated by the subject's consciousness. The initial muscle strength of the finger can be measured, and the reliability of the test result of the O-ring test can be further improved.

Further, in this muscle force measuring device 1, the member 4 which gives an external force for opening the O-ring is made of an elastic body, and the elastic member 4 is provided with a strain gauge 16 to open the O-ring to the elastic member 4. The strain of the elastic member 4 caused by applying the external force to be detected is detected by the strain gauge 16 as the strain amount, and the muscle force changes of the thumb and the other finger are measured based on the output of the strain gauge 16. , It is possible to quantify changes in muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger and to measure them with high accuracy.

Further, in this muscle strength measuring device 1, since the member 4 which gives the external force for opening the O-ring is made of an elastic body, the external force which does not make the subject feel fatigue is applied to the O-ring. Since the change in muscle strength can be measured, the initial strength can be accurately measured regardless of how many times the muscle strength is measured, and thus the change in initial strength can be accurately obtained. Furthermore, in the muscle strength measuring device 1, the O-ring test can be performed independently by replacing the examiner with the device.

According to the above configuration, the first measurement speed that allows the O-ring to be opened within the time period in which the subject cannot be aware of the opening of the O-ring and the time period in which the subject is aware of the opening of the O-ring. An external force for opening the O-ring is applied to the elastic member 4 at a second measurement speed at which the O-ring can be opened, and the thumb and the other finger are separated when the thumb and the other finger are separated at each speed. By measuring the muscle strength of the person based on the output of the strain gauge 16, the brain processing reaction level mediated by the initial muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger and the consciousness of the subject at a reflex reaction level not mediated by the consciousness of the subject. It is possible to measure the initial muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger of the user, and thus to realize the muscular strength measuring device 1 capable of significantly improving the reliability and objectivity of the O-ring test.

In the above embodiment, the case where the speed of the variable speed motor 5 is set to the first measurement speed and the second measurement speed has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the variable speed motor 5 is not limited to this. The three types of speeds may be set, including the first measurement speed. In this case, in addition to the above-described comprehensive determination, the measuring device determines the most frequent determination result among the determination results obtained for each speed as the comprehensive determination of the strength of the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger with respect to the reference muscle strength.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the measuring device gives the matching judgment result to the thumb and another one only when the judgment results of the steps SP5 and SP7 match.
Although the case where the comprehensive determination is made regarding the strength of the finger muscle strength with respect to the reference muscle strength has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the determination result of step SP5 or step SP7 is "+" or "-", and step SP5 or Step SP
When the determination result of any one of 7 is "0", "+" or "-" which is the determination result of step SP5 or step SP7 may be the comprehensive determination of the measuring device.

Further, the result of comparison between the average value of the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger measured in steps SP4 and SP6 and the reference muscle strength may be used as the comprehensive judgment, and the thumb and the other one measured in steps SP4 and SP6 may be used. The result of comparison between the weighted average value of the muscular strength of the finger and the reference muscular strength may be used as the comprehensive judgment. Further, when the judgment results in step SP5 and step SP7 are contradictory, the muscular strength of the thumb and the other one finger is compared with the reference muscular strength. The strength may not be determined.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the strength of the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger is compared with the reference strength based on the judgment result at the first measurement speed and the judgment result at the second measurement speed. Although the case where the determination is performed has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and one of the determination results may be the comprehensive determination of the measuring device. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the comprehensive determination by the measuring device is performed by the method as described above is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the comprehensive determination by the measuring device is performed by another method. You may go.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the muscle strengths of the thumb and the other finger are measured at the first measurement speed, and the strengths of the measured muscle strengths of the thumb and the other finger are determined with respect to the reference muscle strength. Although the muscle strength of the thumb and the other one finger was measured at the second measurement speed and the strength of the measured thumb and the other finger was judged to be strong or weak relative to the reference muscle strength, a comprehensive judgment was made. The invention is not limited to this, but the muscle strengths of the thumb and the other finger are measured at the second measurement speed, and the strength of the measured thumb and the other finger is determined with respect to the reference muscle strength, and then the first measurement is performed. The comprehensive determination may be performed by measuring the muscle strength of the thumb and the other one finger at a speed and determining the strength of the measured muscle strength of the thumb and the other one finger with respect to the reference muscle strength.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the second measurement speed of the variable speed motor 5 is set to a speed at which the O-ring of the subject can be opened in about 0.9 seconds has been described. Not limited to this, if the subject can be aware of the opening of the O-ring, the time when the O-ring is opened (that is, the speed of the variable speed motor 5) may be set to another value.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the O-ring opening means is composed of the plate-shaped rigid member 3 and elastic member 4, and the rigid member 3 and elastic member 4 are brought into contact with the thumb and the fingertip of the other finger. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the O-ring opening means is a plate-shaped or rod-shaped rigid member 3, 4, a plate-shaped or rod-shaped elastic member 3, 4, Alternatively, the elastic member 3 and the rigid member 4, which are plate-shaped or rod-shaped, may be included, and each member may be put in the ring of the O-ring formed by the thumb and the other finger. In this case, the rigid members 3 and 4, the elastic member 3, so that the inner circumference of the ring of the O-ring is in tight contact with the rigid member 3 or the elastic member 4,
4 or the elastic member 3 and the rigid member 4 are positioned, and the pressure sensor 15 is provided at the tip of the thumb or the other finger.

Here, the member to which the external force is applied is the rigid member 4
If it is, the strain gauge 16 as the external force measuring means
In place of the second pressure sensor as an external force measuring means,
The second pressure sensor is provided between the rigid member 4 and the thumb or another finger. In this case, the second pressure sensor detects the pressure applied to the thumb or the other finger by applying the external force to the rigid member 4, and the measuring device detects the pressure of the thumb and the other finger based on the output from the second pressure sensor. 1. Measure the muscle strength of one finger.

Further, in the above embodiment, the speed of the variable speed motor 5 is set so that the time required to reach the external force required to open the O-ring of the subject is about 0.1 seconds as the first measurement speed. However, the case where the speed of the variable speed motor 5 is set so that the time required to reach the external force required to open the O-ring of the subject as the second measurement speed is about 0.9 seconds has been described. Is not limited to this, and the variable speed motor is used so that the time required to reach the external force necessary to open the O-ring of the subject as the first measurement speed is about 20 to 30 [ms], which is the spinal reflex time. The speed of 5 is set, and the time until reaching the external force required to open the O-ring of the subject as the second measurement speed is variable so that the time of brain reflex is about 40 to 60 [ms]. Set the speed of the motor 5 Good.

In this case, if the speed of the variable speed motor 5 is set so that the time required to reach the external force required to open the O-ring of the subject as the third measurement speed is about 0.3 to 1 second, The muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger can be measured while the reflex muscle strength is adjusted via brain processing. Therefore, by setting the speed of the variable speed motor 5 to these three speeds and measuring the muscle force of the thumb and the other finger, the reliability of the test result of the O-ring test can be further improved.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the pressure sensor 15 is arranged in the vicinity of the lower side of the hole 13 of the surface 3C of the rigid member 3 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure sensor 15 is provided in the hole 13 of the rigid member 3 or the hole 14 of the elastic member.
3, pressure sensor 1 directly with the thumb and one finger through the hole 14
5 may be sandwiched.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the pressure sensor 15 is provided in the vicinity of the lower side of the hole 12 on the surface 3C of the rigid member 3 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the thumb and another finger. When contacting the hole 13 of the rigid member 3 and the hole 14 of the elastic member 4 to form the O-ring, if the pressing force of the finger is applied to the pressure sensor 15, the hole 13 of the surface 3C of the rigid member 3 is formed. It may be provided in the vicinity or anywhere near the hole 14 of the surface of the elastic member 4 facing the rigid member 3.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the variable speed motor 5, the shaft 6, the bearing 7, the slider 8, the motor control device 9, the shaft are provided as the external force generating means for applying the external force for opening the O-ring to the elastic member 4. Although the case where the slider 10, the slider 11 and the rail 12 are used has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and an external force generating means having another configuration may be used if an external force for opening the O-ring can be applied to the elastic member 4. You may use.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the case where the elastic member 4 made of vinyl chloride is used has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various plastics such as acrylic and polycarbonate, and FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic).
s, fiber reinforced plastics), carbon fiber or other reinforced plastics, hard rubber such as tires or wood such as bamboo, etc., may be used as the elastic member 4, and the elastic member 4 can be bent when an external force is applied. A member made of a metal having a may be used as the elastic member 4. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 are used as the O-ring opening means has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The rigid member 3 may be made of an elastic body.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the strain gauge 16 is used as the external force measuring means has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and another configuration is possible as long as the strain amount of the elastic member 4 can be detected. The external force measuring means may be used. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, if the numerical value of the muscular strength change measured by the measuring device is displayed on the display means such as a display, the subject can visually judge and the objectivity of the O-ring test is ensured and the test is performed. The reliability of itself can be significantly improved.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the rigid member 3 and the elastic member 4 are provided with the mortar-shaped holes 13 and 14 has been described. If it can be positioned, the hole 13,
It may be formed in a groove shape without penetrating 14 and the hole 1
The 3 and 14 may be provided in other shapes. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the measuring device which is a personal computer is used as the muscle strength measuring means has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various other means can be applied as the muscle strength measuring means.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the pressure sensor 15 is used as the contact / separation detecting means for detecting the contact / separation of the thumb and the other one finger by detecting the change in the pressing force of the thumb and the other one finger. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the contact / separation of the thumb and the other one finger can be detected by detecting the change in the pressing force of the thumb and the other one finger, the present invention is not limited to other means. Can be applied.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention, the external force for opening the O-ring is applied to the external force at a speed at which the O-ring can be opened within a time period during which the subject cannot be aware of the opening of the O-ring. It is applied to one member of the O-ring opening means by the generating means, and the external force applied to the one member is measured by the external force measuring means provided at a predetermined position of the one member, and the output of the external force measuring means is measured. By measuring the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger based on the above, it is possible to measure the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger at a level where the consciousness of the subject does not intervene.
It is possible to realize a muscle strength measuring device that can significantly improve the reliability and objectivity of the ring test.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a muscle strength measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a motor control device.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway sectional view for explaining the formation of an O-ring.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing output data of the pressure sensor and strain gauge when the muscle force is measured using the muscle force measuring device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a graph for explaining analysis of output data of a pressure sensor and a strain gauge.

6A and 6B are a chart and a graph provided for explanation to convert a strain amount S2, which is output data of the strain gauge, into an external force F.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing output data of a pressure sensor and a strain gauge at a normal measurement speed.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing output data of the pressure sensor and the strain gauge at the first measurement speed.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing output data of the pressure sensor and the strain gauge at the second measurement speed.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure of a muscle strength measuring method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a chart for explaining a determination result.

FIG. 12 is a partially cutaway sectional view for explaining an installation position of a pressure sensor according to another embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a graph for explaining problems of the conventional O-ring test device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Muscle force measuring device, 2 ... Stage, 3, 4 ... Elastic member, 5 ... Variable speed motor, 6 ... Screw shaft, 7 ... Bearing, 8, 11 ... Slider, 9 ... Motor Control device,
10 ... Axis, 12 ... Rail, 13, 14 ... Hole, 15
...... Pressure sensor, 16 …… Strain gauge.

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Yoichiro Sako, 6-735 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Sony Corporation (56) Reference JP-A-7-163552 (JP, A) JP-A-7- 59758 (JP, A) JP-A-7-59759 (JP, A) Actual development Sho 63-133208 (JP, U) Japanese Patent Publication 3-44525 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 5/22

Claims (14)

(57) [Claims] 1. An antagonism between an external force for opening an O-ring formed by a thumb and another finger, which is a voluntary muscle of a subject, and a muscular force of the voluntary muscle of the subject for maintaining the O-ring. In a muscle strength measuring device that measures the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger in a state in which the thumb or the other finger is in contact with the one member and the other member. An O-ring opening means, and an external force generating means for applying the external force to one of the members at a speed at which the O-ring can be opened within a time period during which the subject cannot be aware of the opening of the O-ring. External force measuring means provided at a predetermined position of the member for measuring the external force applied to the one of the members, and muscle force measuring for measuring the muscle force of the thumb and the other finger based on the output of the external force measuring means. Means and A muscle strength measuring device characterized by comprising. 2. The external force measuring means detects a strain of one of the members, which is caused by applying the external force to the one member by the external force generating means, as a strain amount, and the muscle force measuring means comprises: The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the muscle strengths of the thumb and the other finger are measured based on the amount of strain. 3. The external force measuring means is provided between one of the members and the thumb or the other one finger, and the external force is applied to the one of the members by the external force generating means. The pressure applied to the thumb or the other one finger is detected, and the muscle force measuring means measures the muscle force of the thumb and the other one finger based on the pressure. Muscle strength measuring device. 4. The muscular strength measuring means determines strength of the measured muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger with respect to the reference muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger previously measured for the subject. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 1. 5. The external force generating means comprises a speed at which the O-ring can be opened at least within a time period during which the subject cannot be aware of the opening of the O-ring.
The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the external force is applied to one of the members at a speed at which the O-ring can be opened during a time period in which the subject can be aware of opening the O-ring. 6. The muscle force measuring means is based on the amount of strain of one of the members obtained when the external force generating means opens the O-ring at each of the above-mentioned speeds. The muscular strength of the finger is measured, and the strength of the muscular strength of the thumb and the other one finger measured for each of the speeds is determined with respect to the reference muscular strength of the thumb and the other one finger measured in advance for the subject, and the speed is determined. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 5, wherein the strength of the muscle strength of the thumb and the other one finger with respect to the reference muscle strength is determined based on the determination result obtained for each. 7. The muscle strength measuring means determines strength of the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger with respect to the reference muscle strength based on all determination results obtained for each of the speeds. 6. The muscle strength measuring device according to 6. 8. The muscle strength measuring means, when all of the judgment results obtained for each of the speeds match, the matching judgment result is used to determine the strength of the thumb and the other finger with respect to the reference muscle strength. 7. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the determination result is. 9. The muscle strength measuring means sets the largest judgment result among the judgment results obtained for each speed as the judgment result regarding the strength of the muscle strength of the thumb and the other finger with respect to the reference muscle strength. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 6. 10. The muscular strength measuring means compares the average value of the muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger measured at each speed with the reference muscular strength to obtain the muscular strength of the thumb and the other one finger. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the determination result is strength or weakness with respect to the reference muscle strength. 11. The muscular strength measuring means compares the weighted average value of the muscular strengths of the thumb and the other finger measured at each of the speeds with the reference muscular strength to determine the muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the determination result is strength or weakness with respect to the reference muscle strength. 12. The muscular strength measuring means, if there is a judgment result that is contradictory to all the judgment results obtained for each of the speeds, the strength of the muscular strength of the thumb and the other finger relative to the reference muscular strength. 7. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 6, wherein is not determined. 13. The member is provided in the vicinity of the thumb and the other one finger of one of the members or the other member of the opposite surfaces of the members facing each other, or at the fingertip of any one of the thumb and the other one finger, A contact / separation detecting unit for detecting a change in pressing force between the thumb and the other one finger to detect contact / separation between the thumb and the other one finger, wherein the muscle force measuring unit is provided by the contact / separation detecting unit. Based on the output of the external force measuring means when it is detected that the thumb and the other finger are completely separated, the thumb and the other finger are
The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 6, wherein the muscle strength of the finger is measured. 14. The muscle strength measuring device according to claim 1, wherein each of the members is made of an elastic body or a rigid body.