KR101653497B1 - Voice recognition-based exoskeleton muscle force assising assistance system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a voice recognition-based aiding system for muscular strength of a dermoskeleton system. According to the present invention, the aiding system is installed to a joint portion and recognizes action commands from voice of a user, thereby allowing the user to take an action with ease as the aiding system supports the movement of the joint.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a muscle-

The present invention relates to an external skeletal muscle strength assisting system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an external skeletal muscle strength assisting system which is installed at a joint part and recognizes an operation command through voice of a user, ≪ / RTI >

If the signal for moving the muscles is not transmitted to the muscles normally due to the problems of the nervous system such as spinal cord injury or hemiplegia, a part of the body can not be moved. If such a disease occurs, A method of restoring the transmission function and improving the body paralysis is used.

For this purpose, in the past, two rehabilitation therapists moved the legs of patients with disabilities directly to create a walking pattern. In this case, the rehabilitation therapist's help is essential and long-term treatment is costly. There are many researches on rehabilitation therapies.

A typical example is a device that generates a gait pattern on a basic treadmill. In recent years, it has assisted the lowered strength of the elderly or handicapped by using a motor or an actuator such as a pneumatic / pneumatic cylinder, Research has been carried out to develop a device that helps people to walk, so that they can move with the will of the user so that they can act relatively freely.

In particular, a muscle auxiliary device, also referred to as a muscle-assisted robot, is a device used by a person to wear or ride on an articulated mechanism operated by an actuator, which allows the actuator to exert a force greater than a user can exert, It is general that the operation is performed based on the torque corresponding to the legs of the legs and the stance by the kinematic equations derived from the operation intention.

However, it is practically impossible to accurately obtain changed physical property information between fabrication, assembly, and operation, and it takes a long time to generate an operation command based on the torque, thereby causing the wearer to feel a sense of heterogeneity in wear, This is only applicable to patients with weakened general or some hemiplegic patients, and patients with spinal cord injuries can not be used.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1280364 (Bulletin published on July 01, 2013).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a voice recognition-based voice recognition system, which is installed in a joint part of a wearer, And to provide an external skeletal muscle strength assistance system.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a voice recognition-based voice recognition system that filters voice signals other than a user, adjusts the speed of joint motion according to user's characteristics, Thereby providing a skeletal muscle strength assistance system.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an external skeletal muscle strength assisting system including an input unit for receiving a voice of a user and converting the voice into a digital signal, and a recognition unit for analyzing the input voice signal to generate an operation signal, ; A joint driving part which is mounted on a joint part of a user and has a motor type actuator configured to assist movement of the joint through an input operation signal; A first controller for controlling the operation command unit and the joint driving unit, analyzing the operation signal and applying the analyzed operation signal to the actuator; .

The joint driving unit may further include a first communication unit for receiving an operation signal and the first control unit further includes a second communication unit for transmitting an operation signal to the first communication unit and transmitting and receiving data with a remote server, A database for storing an operation signal according to an analysis of a voice signal input from a user; an operation signal corresponding to a request from the first control unit in the database, And a second control unit for transmitting through the third communication unit; As shown in FIG.

A registration unit for extracting and registering waveform characteristic information of the user's voice; and a verification unit for comparing the voice inputted from the user with the registered waveform characteristic information to identify the user through the matching rate; A mode releasing unit for interrupting an operation signal supplied to the actuator as the setting operation is applied from the user and setting a mode for allowing the joint driving unit to freely move by an external force; As shown in FIG.

A speed controller for limiting a driving speed of the actuator according to the operation of the actuator and a moving speed of the actuator due to an external force of the actuator to which the operation signal is not applied according to the mode setting of the mode releasing part; As shown in FIG.

In addition, the joint driving part may include an upper joint part to be worn on the upper body around the applied joint, a lower joint part to be worn on the lower body, and a lower joint part to be worn on the upper body part and the lower part, A hinge portion for restricting movement, and an actuator for adjusting an angle between the hinge portions.

The present invention can operate the muscle aiding system precisely with only a simple operation of recognizing voice compared with the conventional system driven by a method of grasping the user's intention through the sensor, It is advantageous in that the computation time can be reduced and the control speed can be improved.

In addition, it is possible to improve the reliability by filtering the voice signals other than the user, adjust the speed of the joint movement according to the characteristics of the user, and to stop the actuator and restore the posture promptly when necessary, It is possible to respond.

1 is a conceptual view showing the concept of the present invention,
2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration and a connection relationship according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a joint driving part according to another embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration and a connection relationship according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a configuration of an external skeletal muscle strength assisting system based on speech recognition of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual view illustrating the concept of the present invention. The user basically wears a joint driving part 120 to a joint to which a muscle is to be supported and commands an operation to each joint driving part 120 through voice, ) To move the joints so that specific actions can be performed easily. At this time, the improved service may be supported through a terminal having a program for processing voice and operation commands or a server 200 for function support remotely.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration and a connection relationship according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The operation command unit 110, the joint driving unit 120, the first control unit 150, In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rest of the components other than the joint driving part 120 worn on the user's body and the server 200 functioning from a remote location are built in the terminal carried by the user. .

The operation command unit 110 is configured to receive a user's voice and generate an operation signal through the input unit 111. The operation unit 110 includes an input unit 111 for receiving a user's voice and converting the voice into a digital signal, And a recognition unit 112 for analyzing the voice signal and generating an operation signal.

That is, the user will enter a voice command that combines preset words such as "sit", "stand up", "listen" (arms or legs) And outputs the converted digital signal to the input unit 111. The input unit 111 converts the input digital signal into a digital signal and then performs an operation for the operation of each joint driving unit 120 corresponding to the word input through the speech recognition algorithm included in the recognition unit 112 Signal. In this case, since a plurality of the joint driving units 120 are provided, a unique ID is assigned to each of the joint driving units 120, and the operation signals are generated for each ID, (Not shown). For example, in the case of a sitting or standing motion, it is common that the joint driving parts worn on both knees are operated at the same time, but in the case of lifting one leg, only the corresponding joint driving part is operated.

In addition, the input unit 111 may be configured to recognize a voice command by pressing a separately provided button or to recognize the voice command before speaking, in order to distinguish a daily conversation from a voice command to be applied to the joint driving unit 120 A configuration may be added in which a specific word is received and a preparation operation for recognizing a voice command is performed.

The joint driving unit 120 is configured to assist the movement of the joints by being worn on a part of a user's body, specifically, a joint requiring muscle strength assistance. The joint driving unit 120 includes an electric actuator 124 And a first communication unit 126 receiving the operation signal and applying the operation signal to the actuator 124.

That is, the hinge portion 123 corresponding to the motion of the joint is moved on the basis of the joint having the two-direction movement such as the knee, the elbow, and the like, which helps the movement of the joint of the worn portion through the operation of the actuator 124 The actuator 124 may be a length-adjustable actuator 124 that can adjust the angle of the hinge 123. In the case of a joint that moves in various directions, a hinge and an actuator may be additionally provided along the direction of rotation of the joint. Will be.

The first communication unit 126 receives an operation signal generated by the recognition unit 112 or a server 200 to be described later. When a simple operation is required, the first communication unit 126 connects to the first control unit 150 through a cable However, it may be configured through a short-range wireless communication module when an inconvenience due to a cable or the like occurs when a wired method is used because the operation radius is large.

In addition, when the joint driving unit 120 is driven in a wireless manner, it is obvious that an actuator 124 provided for each joint driving unit 120 and a power unit for supplying electric power to the first communication unit 126 should be provided.

The first controller 150 corresponds to the MCU of the terminal and is basically supplied with power to control the operation command unit 110 and the joint driving unit 120. The first controller 150 analyzes the operation signal, And transmits the operation signal to the first communication unit 126 when the joint driving unit 120 is controlled in a wireless manner and wants to receive the function support from the external server 200, And a second communication unit 151 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the server 200 of the mobile communication terminal 100.

The server 200 includes a third communication unit 210, a database 220, a second control unit 230, and a second communication unit 230. The third communication unit 210 is connected to the first control unit 150, .

The third communication unit 210 includes the same communication module as the second communication unit 151 so that the first control unit 150 can exchange data with each other.

The database 220 stores an operation signal according to an analysis of a voice signal inputted from a user. It is different from an operation to receive a support according to a user in addition to a limitation of a storage capacity of a conventional terminal. Various operation signals, which are tested by a specialist or a manufacturer, are stored together with a corresponding voice signal for extension of functions such as providing an improved operation environment.

The second control unit 230 corresponds to the MCU of the server 200 and basically controls the third communication unit 210 and the database 220. The second control unit 230 controls the third communication unit 210 and the database 220, An operation signal is retrieved from the database 220 and transmitted to the first controller 150 through the third communication unit 210.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a joint driving part according to another embodiment of the present invention. The joint driving part 120 basically has an upper wear part 121 and a lower wear part 121, A lower attachment portion 122, a hinge portion 123, and an actuator 124. [0042] As shown in Fig.

In other words, upper and lower sides of the joint, for example, the knee joint, the upper side is designated as the upper side, and the lower side is designated as the lower side of the thigh. The joint driving part 120 is firmly worn. At this time, the upper wearer 121 and the lower wearer 122 can be adjusted in length and fixed firmly in accordance with the body characteristics of the user through a velcro tape or a buckle type which can adjust the length of the belt.

The hinge portion 123 is configured to connect the upper wearing portion 121 and the lower wearing portion 122 so as to be rotatable in the same direction as the bending direction of the joint of the wearing portion, . In this case, when the force is applied to the joint by restricting the rotation range of the hinge 123 so as not to exceed the rotation range of the joint, the hinge 123 receives the force and protects the joint from being moved too much .

The actuator 124 is installed to adjust the length of the hinge 123 between the upper wearer 121 and the lower wearer 122.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration and a connection relationship according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention described above, it is possible to prevent unintentional operation due to a voice of a user, A mode identifying unit 130, a mode releasing unit 140, and a speed adjusting unit 140. The user identifying unit 130 may be configured to allow the user to arbitrarily move the joint in a state in which the joint driving unit 120 is worn, (125) are added. In the following description, description of the same constitution already described in the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be omitted.

The user identification unit 130 registers all the user's voice information, which is a criterion of the voice signal inputted before using the power assist system according to the present invention, in advance, identifies the voice inputted on the basis of the voice information, The registration unit 131 and the verification unit 132 are configured to generate an operation signal when it is determined that the operation signal is identical or very similar to the verification result.

The registering unit 131 receives the voice representing the operation through the input unit 111, extracts the waveform characteristic information of the input voice of the user, registers and stores the extracted information.

The verification unit 132 compares the voice input from the user with the waveform characteristic information registered through the register unit 131 for the operation command. If the coincidence rate of the two waveforms is more than a preset ratio, And generates an operation signal through the recognition unit 112.

The mode releasing unit 140 may be operated independently of the action of the actuator 124 in a state in which the joint driving unit 120 is inadvertently moved due to an erroneous command or the joint driving unit 120 is worn due to other problems When the user wishes to move the joint, the operation signal supplied to the actuator 124 is blocked and the joint drive unit 120 can move freely by external force, that is, the will of the user.

For example, when an operation to stand up the joint drive part 120 is taken in a situation in which the joint drive part 120 should not stand up, when the operation signal supplied to the joint drive part 120, that is, the actuator 124 is cut off, So that the gears constituting the actuator 124 are neutralized, that is, a state in which some of the gears are released, so that the user can sit back by the load or move the joints with the user's will do. To this end, when a user inputs a specific voice or presses a provided button, the operation signal supplied to the actuator 124 is blocked as the setting operation is applied from the user, and at the same time, the joint driving part 120 freely The mode for moving is set.

The speed regulator 125 controls the angle of the hinge 123 according to the driving of the actuator 124 and the speed of the actuator 124 to which the operation signal is not applied according to the mode setting of the mode release unit 140. [ And restricts the speed at the time of adjusting the angle of the hinge portion 123 by the external force of the hinge portion 124. This is because the actuator 124 may be moved freely through the mode releasing unit 140 as well as the case where the joint may be excessively moved due to abrupt movement according to the joint state of the user, The hinge portion 123 is folded to prevent a user from being injured.

3, the speed regulator 125 is arranged in parallel with the actuator 124. The speed regulator 125 has a cylindrical shape having a resistance when the length is adjusted as shown in FIG. 125 may be installed in parallel with the actuator to adjust the rotation speed of the hinge 123. The resistance cylinder may be installed in the actuator 124 or the electric power applied to the actuator 124 may be set within a predetermined range And a circuit capable of controlling the operation speed of the actuator 124 by varying the speed of the actuator 124, for example.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment, but is capable of many modifications and variations within the scope of the appended claims. It is self-evident.

110: operation command unit 111: input unit
112: recognition unit 120: joint drive unit
121: upper wearing part 122: lower wearing part
123: hinge part 124: actuator
125: speed control unit 126: first communication unit
130: user identification unit 131: registration unit
132: verification unit 140: mode release unit
150: first control unit 151: second communication unit
200: server 210: third communication section
220: Database 230: Second control unit

Claims (5)

In an external skeletal muscle strength assistance system,
An input unit 111 for receiving a user's voice and converting the voice into a digital signal, and a recognition unit 112 for analyzing the inputted voice signal to generate an operation signal.
A joint driving part 120 mounted on a joint part of the user and having a motorized actuator 124 configured to assist movement of the joint through an input operation signal;
And a verifying unit (132) for comparing the voice inputted from the user with the registered waveform characteristic information and identifying the user through the matching rate, (130);
A mode releasing unit 140 for interrupting an operation signal supplied to the actuator 124 as the setting operation is applied from the user and setting a mode for allowing the joint driving unit 120 to freely move by an external force;
A first controller 150 for controlling the operation command unit 110, the joint drive unit 120, the user identification unit 130, and the mode release unit 140, and analyzing the operation signal and applying the analyzed operation signal to the actuator; And a voice recognition system based on the speech recognition.
The method according to claim 1,
The joint drive unit 120 further includes a first communication unit 126 receiving an operation signal,
The first control unit 150 further includes a second communication unit 151 transmitting an operation signal to the first communication unit 126 and transmitting and receiving data to and from the remote server 200,
A third communication unit 210 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the second communication unit 151, a database 220 for storing an operation signal according to an analysis of a voice signal input from the user, A server (200) having a second controller (230) for searching an operation signal corresponding to a request from the database (220) and transmitting the search result through the third communication unit (210); Further comprising: a voice recognition based skeletal muscle strength aiding system.
delete The method according to claim 1,
A speed controller 125 for limiting the driving speed of the actuator 124 according to the operation of the actuator 124 and the moving speed of the actuator 124 due to the external force of the actuator 124 to which the operation signal is not applied according to the mode setting of the mode releasing unit 140; Further comprising: a voice recognition based skeletal muscle strength aiding system.
5. The method of claim 4,
The joint driving part 120 includes an upper joint part 121 to be worn on the upper body around the joint, a lower joint part 122 to be worn on the lower body, A hinge part (123) for restricting movement between the hinge part (121) and the lower wearing part (122), and an actuator (124) for adjusting the angle between the hinge part (123) External skeletal muscle power assist system.

Images