JP7057556B2 - How to measure the joint rotation angle of clothing, analyzer and subject - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to clothing, an analyzer, and a method for measuring a joint rotation angle of a subject.

A technique is known in which a conductive elastic member is woven into a fiber and the change in capacitance caused by the expansion and contraction of the elastic member is measured to measure the pressure applied to the fiber (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-177565

According to Patent Document 1, an example is shown in which a fiber-type sensor in which a conductive elastic material is embedded is applied to a system for measuring the movement of the elbow of an arm. The analysis is relatively easy if the movement rotates around one axis, such as the movement of the elbow, but the human body has joints that rotate with a degree of freedom of two or more axes. It has been very difficult to analyze the rotation angle around each axis of a joint having two or more degrees of freedom by using such a fiber type sensor that is comfortable to be worn by the subject. rice field.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and compares the rotation angles around each axis of joints having two or more degrees of freedom while maintaining the wearing feeling of the subject. It is intended to provide clothing or the like equipped with a fiber type sensor for easy analysis.

The clothing according to the first aspect of the present invention is clothing provided with a fiber type sensor whose capacitance changes when it is expanded and contracted in one direction, and the subject wears the clothing. At least two fibrous sensors are incorporated so as not to be parallel to each other at positions corresponding to joints that can rotate about at least two axes.

When the subject wears such clothing, the plurality of fiber type sensors are naturally arranged in a preferable position with respect to the subject's body. That is, it is not necessary for the assistant or the like to perform strict placement work of the sensor on the subject. And since at least two fiber type sensors are incorporated so as not to be parallel to each other, in order to analyze the rotational movements of at least two axes of the same joint in consideration of the influence on each other. Sensor output can be provided.

Further, in the above-mentioned clothing, the joint is a shoulder joint, and at least one fiber type on the chest side and one on the back side along the arm extending from the shoulder joint, and one fiber type from the chest side to the back side. It would be nice to have a built-in sensor. Since the shoulder joint can rotate around three axes, it was found that the arrangement of such a fiber type sensor is preferable in order to analyze the rotation motion of each.

Further, in the above-mentioned clothing, it is preferable that the fiber type sensor is also incorporated in the position corresponding to the adjacent joint adjacent to the joint. Since the rotational movement of a certain joint is somewhat affected by the rotational movement of the joint adjacent to that joint, it is advisable to measure the rotational movement of the adjacent joint as well. When the measurement target is the shoulder joint, the adjacent joint is the elbow joint, and it is preferable that at least one fibrous sensor is incorporated along the arm. Since it was found that the rotation movement of the shoulder joint is affected by the rotation movement of the elbow joint, when the rotation movement of the shoulder joint is to be measured, the rotation movement of the elbow joint should also be monitored. good.

The second aspect of the present invention is an analyzer used in connection with the clothing of the first aspect, and is a fiber obtained by performing a calibration operation in which a subject rotates a joint to be measured. Arbitrary subject Each of the rotation angle calculation units for calculating the rotation angle around the axis with respect to the operation is provided. Since the fiber type sensor provided on the clothing does not have strict position adjustment with respect to the body of the subject wearing the clothing, the sensor output is first obtained by having the subject perform calibration. And grasp the correlation of the rotation angle around each axis. Specifically, a weighting coefficient for each output of the fiber type sensor for calculating the rotation angle around each axis is calculated. By calculating the coefficient in advance in this way, even when calculating the rotation angle around a certain axis, not only the output of the sensor that reacts sensitively by the rotation operation but also the output of other sensors By incorporating the sensor via the weighting coefficient, a more accurate rotation angle can be calculated.

In the method of measuring the joint rotation angle of the subject in the third aspect of the present invention, at least two fiber type sensors whose capacitance changes when expanded and contracted in one direction are covered so as not to be parallel to each other. By mounting the joint in a position corresponding to a joint that can rotate around at least two axes of the examiner, and by performing a calibration operation in which the subject rotates the joint to be measured by the computer of the analyzer. From the output of the obtained fiber type sensor, a coefficient calculation step of calculating a weighting coefficient for each output of the fiber type sensor for calculating the rotation angle around each axis, and a computer using the weighting coefficient, It has a rotation angle calculation step for calculating a rotation angle around an axis for any movement of the subject.

Not only when at least two fiber type sensors are preliminarily incorporated in clothing, but also when an assistant or the like wears them on the subject's body, the at least two fiber type sensors should not be parallel to each other. If it is mounted according to a simple rule of mounting on the fiber, the rotation angle of the rotation operation can be calculated more accurately. That is, as described above, by having the subject perform the calibration, the correlation between the output of the sensor and the rotation angle around each axis can be grasped, and a more accurate rotation angle is calculated. be able to. Further, since the fiber type sensor is used, the wearing feeling of the subject is also good.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, a fiber type sensor is provided for relatively easily analyzing the rotation angle around each axis of a joint having two or more degrees of freedom while maintaining the wearing feeling of the subject. Clothes and the like can be provided.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of a measurement system. It is a figure which shows the structure of the fiber type sensor. It is a figure explaining the 1st rotation motion of a shoulder joint. It is a figure explaining the 2nd rotation motion of a shoulder joint. It is a figure explaining the 3rd rotation motion of a shoulder joint. It is a figure explaining the rotation operation of an elbow joint. It is a figure which shows an example of the calibration operation. It is a figure which shows an example of each sensor output. It is a figure which compares the actual rotation operation and the calculated rotation angle. It is a flow chart which shows a series of measurement steps.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Moreover, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are indispensable as means for solving the problem.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an overall configuration of a measurement system 100 that measures a joint rotation angle of a subject. The measurement system 100 is mainly composed of a clothing 200 worn by the subject, an analysis PC 300 that acquires a signal from the clothing 200 and analyzes the rotational movement, and a monitor 400 that displays the result. In the present embodiment, the system will be described as a system for analyzing the rotational movements of the right shoulder and the right elbow of the subject.

The garment 200 is a garment woven from general fibers as a whole, but a plurality of fiber type sensors 210 are incorporated at predetermined positions. Specifically, as will be described later, the fiber type sensor 210 is a sensor whose capacitance changes when it is expanded and contracted in one direction. The fiber type sensor 210 has a vertically elongated shape in the expansion / contraction direction in which the capacitance changes. The clothing 200 incorporates four fiber type sensors 210.

The first sensor 210a is a position corresponding to the shoulder joint of the right shoulder, and is incorporated so that the long side of the right arm extending from the shoulder joint is along the chest side. The second sensor 210b is a position corresponding to the shoulder joint of the right shoulder, and is incorporated so that the long side faces from the chest side to the back side. The third sensor 210c is a position corresponding to the shoulder joint of the right shoulder, and is incorporated so that the long side of the right arm extending from the shoulder joint is along the back side. The fourth sensor 210d is a position corresponding to the elbow joint of the right elbow, and is incorporated so that the long side of the right arm is along the back side. The elbow joint of the right elbow is a joint physically adjacent to the shoulder joint of the right shoulder, and the rotational movement of the shoulder joint of the right shoulder has some influence on the rotational movement of the elbow joint of the right elbow. Similarly, the rotational movement of the elbow joint of the right elbow has some influence on the rotational movement of the shoulder joint of the right shoulder.

The outputs of the respective fiber type sensors 210 (first sensor 210a to fourth sensor 210d) are aggregated in the control unit 220, AD-converted, and transmitted to the analysis PC 300 by short-range wireless communication. The communication between the control unit 220 and the analysis PC 300 is not limited to direct short-range wireless communication, and may be communication via a cloud server or wire connection.

The analysis PC 300 is, for example, a desktop PC, and functions as an analysis device that receives the output of the fiber type sensor 210 from the control unit 220 and performs analysis on the movements of the subject's right shoulder and right elbow. The analysis PC 300 includes a system control unit 310 that executes a control calculation program, which is a CPU. The system control unit 310 includes a count calculation unit 311 and a rotation angle calculation unit 312 as functional calculation units. The coefficient calculation unit 311 calculates the rotation angle around each axis from the output of the fiber type sensor 210 obtained by performing the calibration operation in which the subject rotates the joint to be measured. The weighting coefficient for each output of the fiber type sensor 210 is calculated. The rotation angle calculation unit calculates the rotation angle around the axis for any movement of the subject by using the weighting coefficient calculated by the coefficient calculation unit. The specific operation and calculation procedure will be described later.

The monitor 400 is, for example, a liquid crystal monitor, and is connected to the analysis PC 300. The results calculated and analyzed by the analysis PC 300 are displayed on the monitor 400 so that the subject and the supervisor can see them.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the fiber type sensor 210. The fiber type sensor 210 has a basic structure in which first conductive yarns 211 and second conductive yarns 212 alternately arranged as weft yarns and insulating yarns 215 which are warp yarns intersecting the first conductive yarns 211 and the second conductive yarns 212 are woven into each other. The first conductive thread 211 and the second conductive thread 212 have a structure in which a conductive wire (for example, a stainless wire) is provided as a core and a non-conductive sheath (for example, a hollow fiber of polyester) surrounds the core. The insulating yarn 215 has elasticity, and for example, a stretch yarn made of polyurethane fiber is used. As a result, the fiber type sensor 210 can be stretched in the direction of the arrow according to the applied tensile force, and the distance between the first conductive thread 211 and the second conductive thread 212 is widened according to the stretch.

One end of each of the first conductive threads 211 is connected to the first electrode wire 213. Similarly, one end of each of the second conductive threads 212 is connected to the second electrode wire 214. The first electrode wire 213 and the second electrode wire 214 may be conductive wires (for example, stainless steel wires), respectively, but may be covered with a non-conductive material. The first electrode wire 213 and the second electrode wire 214 have a length sufficient to not hinder the action of the insulating thread 215 extending in the direction of the arrow, and are normally twisted and shrunk without receiving a tensile force. ..

Here, the change in capacitance will be briefly described. The capacitance C _p of the conductive parallel lines having a unit length is such that the distance between the first conductive thread 211 and the second conductive thread 212 is D, the radius of each conductive thread is a, and the dielectric constant of the dielectric is ε ₀ . , Expressed by the following equation (1).

Since the capacitance C of the entire fiber type sensor 210 can be regarded as a capacitor formed by the adjacent first conductive thread 211 and the second conductive thread 212 connected in parallel, the total number of the capacitors is Mc. , Assuming that the width of the first conductive thread 211 and the second conductive thread 212 facing each other is W, it is expressed by the following equation (2).

Therefore, since the capacitance C changes when the distance between the first conductive thread 211 and the second conductive thread 212 increases according to the applied tensile force, the first electrode wire 213 and the second electrode wire are connected to the detection circuit. By observing the change in the lever, the amount of extension of the fiber type sensor 210 can be measured. If such a fiber type sensor 210 is attached, for example, in the vicinity of the elbow joint, the fiber type sensor 210 expands following the rotation of the elbow. Then, by observing the change in the output of the fiber type sensor 210, it is possible to grasp the correlation between the extension amount of the fiber type sensor 210 and the rotation angle of the elbow. Therefore, once the correlation can be grasped, the rotation angle of the rotation operation can be calculated from the output of the fiber type sensor 210 with respect to the subsequent rotation operation of the elbow. If the fiber type sensor 210 is arranged so as to be in a slightly stretched state in the initial mounting state, it is possible to observe a change in contraction with the rotation operation.

In this way, in the case of a joint rotation operation that allows rotation around one axis, such as an elbow joint, the rotation angle can be calculated with relatively high accuracy by observing the output of one fiber type sensor 210. can do. However, for joints that rotate with a degree of freedom of two or more axes, such as shoulder joints, it is possible to calculate each rotation angle simply by observing changes in the output of a single fiber type sensor 210. Can not. Further, simply by mounting a plurality of fiber type sensors 210 without any consideration, it is not possible to grasp the correspondence relationship between each sensor output and the rotation angle around each axis.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the three fiber type sensors 210 (first sensor 210a, second sensor) are located at the positions corresponding to the shoulder joints according to the degree of freedom of the rotation axis allowed by the shoulder joints. 210b, the third sensor 210c) is arranged. Specifically, the first sensor 210a and the second sensor 210b, and the second sensor 210b and the third sensor 210c are arranged so that their extension directions are not parallel to each other. The angle formed by the extension directions of the two corresponding sensors is preferably 45 degrees or more and 135 degrees or less. By arranging in this way, the correspondence between each sensor output and the rotation angle around each axis can be grasped. This will be described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first rotational movement of the shoulder joint. As shown in the figure, the first rotation motion is a rotation motion around the first axis when the horizontal axis passing through both shoulders is defined as the first axis of the shoulder joint. The rotation angle around the first axis is θ _w1 .

As a calibration, the coefficient calculation unit 311 acquires the output of the fiber type sensor 210 when the subject rotates his arm around the first axis. In this calibration, the output of the fourth sensor 210d arranged corresponding to the elbow joint is also acquired. Specifically, the calibration operation for the subject is, for example, θ _w1 = 0 degrees (arm vertically lowered), θ _w1 = 45 degrees, θ _w1 = 90 degrees (arm horizontally in the forward direction). Raise your arm in the order of (maintained state), acquire each sensor output value each time, and store it as sampling data. In the calibration operation, the angle may be determined by the amount of eyes of the assistant, etc., but a more correct angle is calculated using the output of other sensors installed in the same facility or the imaging data obtained by imaging the subject. It may be associated with each other. In this case, by sampling at a constant cycle, a set (sampling data) of the rotation angle θ _w1 and each sensor output can be continuously generated and stored. It is assumed that the rotation angle calculated from the output of other sensors and the imaging data is an accurate value.

By repeating such a calibration operation around the first axis a plurality of times and accumulating sampling data, it is possible to grasp the correspondence between the rotation angle θ _w1 and each sensor output. Specifically, by subjecting the sampling data to multiple regression analysis, the weighting coefficients _a11 , _a12 , _a13 , _a14 and the constant b1 of the following equation ( ₃ ) are calculated. The output of the first sensor 210a is L ₁ , the output of the second sensor 210b is L ₂ , the output of the third sensor 210c is L ₃ , and the output of the fourth sensor 210d is L ₁₄ .

Once the equation (3) is determined by calibration, the rotation angle θ _w1 can be calculated from the sensor output obtained at that time for any subsequent rotation operation around the first axis.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a second rotational movement of the shoulder joint. As shown in the figure, the second rotation operation is a rotation operation around the second axis when the horizontal axis from the chest side to the back side is defined as the second axis. The rotation angle around the second axis is θ _w2 .

As a calibration, the coefficient calculation unit 311 acquires the output of the fiber type sensor 210 when the subject rotates his arm around the second axis. Also here, the output of the fourth sensor 210d is also acquired. Specifically, the calibration operation for the subject is, for example, θ _w2 = 0 degrees (arm vertically lowered), θ _w2 = 45 degrees, θ _w2 = 90 degrees (arm horizontally to the right). Raise your arm in the order of (maintained state), acquire each sensor output value each time, and store it as sampling data. In this case as well, imaging data or the like may be used as in the case of the first axis.

By repeating such a calibration operation around the second axis a plurality of times and accumulating sampling data, it is possible to grasp the correspondence between the rotation angle θ _w2 and each sensor output. Specifically, by subjecting the sampling data to multiple regression analysis, the weighting coefficients _a21 , _a22 , _a23 , a24 and the constant b2 in the following equation ( ₄ ) _are calculated.

Once the equation (4) is determined by calibration, the rotation angle θ _w2 can be calculated from the sensor output obtained at that time for any subsequent rotation operation around the second axis.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a third rotational movement of the shoulder joint. As shown in the figure, the third rotation motion is a rotation motion (twisting motion) around the third axis when the extension direction of the upper arm is defined as the third axis. The rotation angle around the third axis is θ _w3 .

As a calibration, the coefficient calculation unit 311 acquires the output of the fiber type sensor 210 when the subject rotates his arm around the third axis. Also here, the output of the fourth sensor 210d is also acquired. Specifically, as a calibration operation for the subject, for example, θ _w3 = 0 degrees (palm is vertical), θ _w3 = 45 degrees, θ _w3 = 90 degrees (palm is horizontal), in that order. Is twisted, and each sensor output value is acquired and stored as sampling data each time. In this case as well, imaging data or the like may be used as in the case of the first axis.

By repeating such a calibration operation around the third axis a plurality of times and accumulating sampling data, it is possible to grasp the correspondence between the rotation angle θ _w3 and each sensor output. Specifically, by subjecting the sampling data to multiple regression analysis, the weighting coefficients a ₃₁ , a ₃₂ , a ₃₃ , and a ₃₄ of the following equation (5) and the constant b ₃ are calculated.

Once the equation (5) is determined by calibration, the rotation angle θ _w3 can be calculated from the sensor output obtained at that time for any subsequent rotation operation around the third axis.

In the present embodiment, the rotation motion of the elbow joint is also a measurement target. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the rotational movement of the elbow joint. As shown in the figure, the rotation motion of the elbow joint is a rotation motion around the fourth axis when the rotation axis of the elbow joint is defined as the fourth axis. The rotation angle around the fourth axis is θ _w4 .

Since the fourth sensor 210d is mounted at the position corresponding to the elbow joint in the first place, the correspondence with the rotation angle θ _w4 can be grasped by observing only the output of the fourth sensor 210d. However, it has been found that the rotational movement of the elbow joint is affected by the condition of the shoulder joint at that time. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the accuracy of the calculated rotation angle θ _w4 is improved by using the output of the shoulder joint sensor together. For the same reason, the output of the fourth sensor 210d is also used to calculate the rotation angles θ _w1 , θ _w2 , and θ _w3 of the shoulder joint, and the rotation movement of the shoulder joint is based on the state of the elbow joint at that time. This is because it has become clear that they will be affected. That is, in the rotation motion of the joint to be measured, the rotation angle can be calculated more accurately if the rotation motion of the adjacent joint is also taken into consideration.

As a calibration, the coefficient calculation unit 311 acquires the output of the fiber type sensor 210 when the subject rotates his / her arm around the fourth axis. Specifically, as the calibration operation for the subject, for example, θ _w4 = 0 degrees (state in which the forearm is lowered vertically), θ _w4 = 45 degrees, θ _w4 = 90 degrees (state in which the forearm is horizontal). Raise your arm in the order of, and acquire each sensor output value each time and store it as sampling data. In this case as well, imaging data or the like may be used as in the case of the first axis.

By repeating such a calibration operation around the fourth axis a plurality of times and accumulating sampling data, it is possible to grasp the correspondence between the rotation angle θ _w4 and each sensor output. Specifically, by subjecting the sampling data to multiple regression analysis, the weighting coefficients a ₄₁ , a ₄₂ , a ₄₃ , a ₄₄ and the constant b ₄ of the following equation (6) are calculated.

Once the equation (6) is determined by calibration, the rotation angle θ _w4 can be calculated from the sensor output obtained at that time for any subsequent rotation operation around the fourth axis.

The formulas (6) from the formulas (3) can be summarized by the following formula (7).

In the above description, when performing calibration around the target axis, it is assumed that the rotation angles around other axes are kept constant. However, as can be seen from Eq. (7), for example, the subject is asked to move his / her arm freely in about 1 minute, and the data is acquired during that time (θ _w1 , θ _w2 , θ _w3 , θ _w4 ). By accumulating a considerable number of sampling data that are a combination of (L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ , L ₄ ), the weighting coefficient matrix and constant vector of Eq. (7) can be calculated by multiple regression analysis.

Next, the actual verification results will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the calibration operation performed as verification. The horizontal axis is the number of samplings, and substantially represents the elapsed time. The vertical axis represents the rotation angle around the first axis measured by another sensor. As can be seen from the change in the measurement result, the subject repeatedly raised and lowered his arm around the first axis three times.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing output values of each sensor obtained when the calibration operation shown in FIG. 7 is executed. The horizontal axis is the number of samplings as in FIG. 7, and substantially represents the elapsed time. The vertical axis represents the sensor output. The two-dot chain line represents the change in the output L ₁ of the first sensor 210a, the dotted line represents the change in the output L ₂ of the second sensor 210b, the solid line represents the change in the output L ₃ of the third sensor 210c, and the one-dot chain line represents the change. It represents a change in the output L4 of the _fourth sensor 210d. It can be seen that the second sensor 210b contracts while the third sensor 210c expands greatly according to the arm raising motion. The weighting coefficients obtained by multiple regression analysis of the sampling data obtained from this calibration operation are a ₁₁ = 0.017, a ₁₂ = -0.021, a ₁₃ = 0.140, and a ₁₄ = 0. It is 390 and the constant is b ₁ = −55.996.

FIG. 9 is a diagram in which the measured value of FIG. 7, which is an actual rotation operation, and the calculated value calculated by applying the weighting coefficient and the constant calculated by the sampling data of FIG. 8 to the equation (3) are superimposed and compared. Is. The horizontal axis and the vertical axis are the same as in FIG. 7, the dotted line shows the measured value, and the solid line shows the calculated value. The two are in good agreement with each other, indicating that the measurement method in the present embodiment can withstand practical use.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing a series of measurement steps for measuring rotation angles θ _w1 to θ _w4 using the measurement system 100. The subject wears the clothing 200 in step S101. As a result, the first sensor 210a to the third sensor 210c embedded in the clothing 200 are arranged at positions corresponding to the shoulder joints, and the fourth sensor 210d is arranged at a position corresponding to the elbow joints.

In step S102, the subject performs a calibration operation according to each of the first axis to the fourth axis. During the period in which the subject is trying the calibration operation, the control unit 220 sequentially collects L1 to L4, which are the outputs of the _first sensor 210a to the _fourth sensor 210d, and transmits them to the analysis PC 300. The coefficient calculation unit 311 combines L ₁ to L ₄ received from the control unit 220 with rotation angles θ _w1 to θ _w4 , which are measured values calculated from the output of another sensor at that time, and stores them as sampling data. do.

When the trial of the calibration operation is completed, the process proceeds to step S103, and the coefficient calculation unit 311 calculates the weighting coefficient matrix and the constant vector by subjecting the accumulated sampling data to multiple regression analysis. If the weighting coefficient matrix and the constant vector are successfully calculated, the monitor 400 may display the fact. In addition, it may be displayed that this trial has become possible.

In step S104, the subject performs this trial to arbitrarily move the shoulder joint and the elbow joint. During the period in which the subject is performing this trial, the control unit 220 sequentially collects L1 to L4, which are the outputs of the _first sensor 210a to the _fourth sensor 210d, and transmits them to the analysis PC 300. The rotation angle calculation unit 312 applies L ₁ to L ₄ received from the control unit 220 to the equation (7), and calculates the rotation angles θ _w1 to θ _w4 (step S105). After calculating the rotation angles θ _w1 to θ _w4 , the system control unit 310 sequentially displays the result on the monitor 400 (step S106). Steps S104 and S105 are repeated until the measurement is completed. When the measurement is completed and, for example, the power is turned off, the series of processes is terminated.

In the present embodiment described above, a considerable number of sampling data that are a combination of (θ _w1 , θ _w2 , θ _w3 , θ _w4 ) and (L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ , L ₄ ) are accumulated as calibration. By applying this sampling data to multiple regression analysis, equation (7) was completed. However, the method for obtaining each rotation angle for an arbitrary rotation operation is not limited to this. For example, a neural network may be constructed in which the input value is (L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ , L ₄ ) and the output value is (θ _w1 , θ _{w 2} , θ w 3, θ w ₄ ). In this case, the combination of (θ _w1 , θ _w2 , θ _w3 , θ _w4 ) and (L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ , L ₄ ) is first accumulated as sampling data through calibration, and these have been learned as teacher data. All you have to do is build a neural network.

Further, in the present embodiment described above, in measuring each rotation angle around the three axes of the shoulder joint, the sensor output of the adjacent elbow joint is also referred to in order to improve the accuracy, but it corresponds to the shoulder joint. It may be configured to refer only to the outputs of the three sensors arranged therein. Further, in the present embodiment, the shoulder joint is shown as an example of a joint that can rotate around at least two axes, but of course, other joints can be similarly applied. For example, the hip joint can be measured. At this time, when measuring the rotation angle around each axis of the hip joint, the measurement accuracy may be improved by using the output of the sensor mounted in the vicinity of the knee joint adjacent to the hip joint.

Further, the measurement system 100 described above includes a clothing 200 in which a fiber type sensor 210 is embedded. By adopting the clothing 200, the fiber type sensor 210 is naturally arranged at a preferable position with respect to the body of the subject, so that the work related to the sensor arrangement is greatly reduced. However, the fiber type sensor 210 may be provided as a single body on, for example, a stretchable base material, and such a fiber type sensor may be directly attached to the target portion of the subject. In that case, it is attached to the corresponding position of the joint to be measured so that at least two fiber type sensors are not parallel to each other. Alternatively, the clothing may be provided with a mounting portion for mounting the single fiber type sensor 210 at a position to be positioned with respect to the body of the subject. The mounting portion may employ, for example, a storage pocket that does not impair elasticity. Even with such clothing, the single fiber type sensor 210 can be easily arranged at a predetermined position. That is, regardless of whether the fiber type sensor 210 is embedded in the clothing or worn, the clothing may be provided with the fiber type sensor 210 at the time of use.

100 measurement system, 200 clothing, 210 fiber type sensor, 211 first conductive thread, 212 second conductive thread, 213 first electrode line, 214 second electrode line, 215 insulating thread, 220 control unit, 300 analysis PC, 310 System control unit, 311 coefficient calculation unit, 312 rotation angle calculation unit, 400 monitor

Claims (4)

A garment equipped with a plurality of fiber-type sensors having a shape that is vertically elongated in the expansion / contraction direction, whose capacitance changes when it is expanded / contracted in one direction.
The plurality of fiber type sensors are used when the subject wears the clothing.
A first sensor incorporated so that the long side of the arm extending from the shoulder joint is along the chest side at a position corresponding to the shoulder joint of the subject.
A second sensor incorporated so that the long side faces from the chest side to the back side at the position corresponding to the shoulder joint,
The position corresponding to the shoulder joint includes a third sensor incorporated so that the long side of the arm extending from the shoulder joint is along the back side.
Clothing. The plurality of fiber type sensors are used when the subject wears the clothing.
A fourth sensor incorporated along the long side of the arm at a position corresponding to the elbow joint adjacent to the shoulder joint is further included .
The clothing according to claim 1 . An analysis device used in connection with the clothing according to claim 1 or 2 .
A rotation angle around each axis is calculated from the outputs of the first to third sensors obtained by the subject performing a calibration operation for rotating the shoulder joint to be measured. A coefficient calculation unit that calculates a weighting coefficient for each output of the first to third sensors, and a coefficient calculation unit.
An analysis device including a rotation angle calculation unit that calculates a rotation angle around an axis for any movement of the subject using the weighting coefficient. When the subject expands and contracts in one direction, the capacitance changes , and the subject wears clothing equipped with multiple fiber-type sensors that have a vertically elongated shape in the expansion and contraction direction .
In order for the computer of the analyzer to calculate the rotation angle around each axis from the output of the fiber type sensor obtained by performing the calibration operation in which the subject rotates the shoulder joint to be measured. In the coefficient calculation step of calculating the weighting coefficient for each output of the fiber type sensor,
A method in which the computer uses the weighting coefficient to measure a joint rotation angle of a subject having a rotation angle calculation step of calculating a rotation angle around an axis for any movement of the subject. And,
The plurality of fiber type sensors are used when the subject wears the clothing in the mounting step.
A first sensor incorporated so that the long side of the arm extending from the shoulder joint is along the chest side at a position corresponding to the shoulder joint.
A second sensor incorporated so that the long side faces from the chest side to the back side at the position corresponding to the shoulder joint,
The position corresponding to the shoulder joint includes a third sensor incorporated so that the long side of the arm extending from the shoulder joint is along the back side.
Method .

Images