JPH0749046B2 - Artificial tactile stimulation generator - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is intended for persons with impaired tactile function in which the tactile function of the skin of fingers and other parts is deteriorated or the tactile function remains slightly, and is used in daily life or function recovery training. The present invention relates to an artificial tactile stimulus generator for.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art People with impaired tactile function, whose tactile function on the skin of fingers and other parts is deteriorated, or whose tactile function remains slightly, are subject to fingertip and hand object training during their daily life or function recovery training. It is necessary to accurately recognize the state of contact between the skin and another object such as the grasping state, or it is necessary to accurately recognize whether or not the skin of the appropriate part has contacted with another object as tactile information. It is customary for the person with impaired tactile function to make his / her own efforts, and little device has been developed to support it.

[0003]

The technical problem of the present invention is to make it possible to accurately recognize the contact state between the skin and another object such as the state of gripping an object in the daily life or functional training of a person with impaired tactile function. Therefore, it is possible to feed back the contact state between the skin and the object as clearer tactile information, and to provide an artificial tactile stimulus generator effective for supporting function recovery training for persons with reduced tactile function. .

[0004]

The artificial tactile stimulus generator of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems integrates a contact pressure detector for wearing on the skin and a fine vibration generator, and detects the contact pressure. A stimulus output is generated by connecting a calculation unit that captures the pressure change as a voltage change to the child and generating a vibration output for driving the minute vibration generator at a frequency that matches the voltage captured by the calculation unit. It is composed by connecting parts.

[0005]

The artificial tactile stimulus generator having the above-mentioned structure includes the stimulus generator in which the contact pressure detector and the fine vibration generator are integrated,
It is used by attaching it to the skin of fingertips, hands, or other parts of people with impaired tactile function, and when the stimulus generator comes into contact with another object and contact pressure acts on the contact pressure detector, the calculation unit The pressure change is captured as a voltage change,
In the stimulus output generator, a vibration output for driving the microvibration generator is generated at a frequency corresponding to the voltage, and the microvibration generator is driven at a required frequency.

Therefore, when used in the daily life or functional training of persons with impaired tactile function, the contact state between the skin and the object is fed back as clearer tactile information, so that the skin and other objects such as the grasped state of the object can be fed back. The state of contact with can be accurately recognized, and it can be effectively used to support function recovery training.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an example of use in which the artificial tactile stimulus generator according to the present invention is attached to a fingertip, and FIG. 2 shows the structure of the stimulus generator attached to the fingertip. The artificial tactile stimulus generator has a stimulus generator 1 to be worn on the skin of a person with impaired tactile function, a contact pressure detector 2 using pressure sensitive rubber, and a vibrating membrane, as shown in FIG. It is configured by integrating the fine vibration generator 3.

Further, the contact pressure detector 2 is connected to an arithmetic unit for detecting the pressure change as a voltage change, and the fine vibration generator 3 is a stimulus for generating a vibration output for driving it. The output generator is connected. The stimulus output generation unit drives the microvibration generator 3 at a frequency corresponding to the voltage detected by the calculation unit, and therefore converts the voltage into a frequency corresponding to the voltage and generates a vibration output at that frequency. It should be noted that the calculation unit and the stimulus output generation unit need to be formed small enough to be easily carried.

In the artificial tactile stimulus generator having the above-mentioned structure, a stimulus generator 1 in which a contact pressure detector and a microvibration generator are integrated is used, and the stimulus generator 1 shown in FIG.
Alternatively, it is used by being attached to the skin of another part, and when the stimulus generator 1 comes into contact with another object and the contact pressure acts on the pressure-sensitive rubber in the contact pressure detector 2, the pressure change in the calculation unit. Can be seen as a change in voltage. This voltage is sent to the stimulus output generation unit, and in the stimulus output generation unit, a vibration output for driving the microvibration generator 2 is generated at a frequency commensurate with the voltage, thereby vibrating the microvibration generator 2. The membrane vibrates at a required frequency and stimulates the skin of the fingertip or other site where the stimulation generator 1 is attached.

Therefore, if this artificial tactile stimulus generator is used in daily life or functional training of persons with impaired tactile function,
Since the state of contact between the skin and the object or the strength of grasping the object with a finger or the like is fed back as clearer tactile information, the state of contact between the skin and other objects such as the state of grasping the object can be accurately measured. Can be effectively used to support functional recovery training.

[0011]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The artificial tactile stimulus generator of the present invention, which has been described in detail above, is used in the daily life or functional training of a person with impaired tactile function so that the state of gripping an object, such as skin and other things Since the contact state of the user can be fed back as clearer tactile information, the contact state between the skin and an object can be accurately recognized by the person with impaired antennal function. It can be effectively used for support, etc.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state in which an artificial tactile stimulus generator of the present invention is attached to a fingertip and used.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the artificial tactile stimulus generator.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 stimulus generator, 2 contact pressure detector, 3 micro vibration generator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A contact pressure detector for mounting on the skin and a fine vibration generator are integrated, and an arithmetic unit for detecting the pressure change as a voltage change is connected to the contact pressure detector and the fine pressure generator is connected. An artificial tactile stimulus generator characterized in that a vibration output is connected to a stimulus output generation unit for generating a vibration output for driving the vibration generator at a frequency commensurate with the voltage detected by the calculation unit.