KR102472779B1 - Pressure Sensing Unit And Shoe Insole Having The Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a first module for irradiating light; a second module that receives light emitted from the first module and scattered from the user's skin; and a third module generating electrical information based on the optical information received from the second module.

Description

Pressure sensor unit and shoe insole having the same {Pressure Sensing Unit And Shoe Insole Having The Same}

The present invention relates to a pressure sensor unit and an insole for shoes having the same. More specifically, the present invention irradiates light and based on the amount of light reflected from the contact that contacts the pressure sensor unit, distinguishes whether or not the contact is in contact and pressurized, and can measure pressure or force while maintaining sufficient durability. It relates to a pressure sensor unit that can be secured and configured to be compact in size, and an insole for shoes having the same.

Sensors that are frequently applied to measure pressure or force applied to a wearable assistive device for sports, medical, or rehabilitation purposes include a Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) sensor and a pneumatic sensor.

The FSR sensor is widely used due to its thin thickness and small volume, but mainly has a thin surface structure, which causes the sensor to be damaged when distorted or folded by an external force, and the sensor itself is composed of a sheet form, so it has an even pressure value depending on the area being pressed There is a problem that it is difficult to measure .

In the case of a pneumatic sensor, if it is manufactured in a structure in which air pressure is communicated even if the area is large, there is no problem of pressure deviation by area, but it is cumbersome to manufacture and it is bulky as it needs to secure enough air passage for the sensor to recognize in the sensitivity range. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is not easy to arrange a plurality of sensors in a specific area.

Therefore, there is a great need for a pressure sensor unit capable of minimizing the volume and thickness, minimizing the variation for each area of pressure measurement, and ensuring sufficient durability.

The present invention irradiates light and based on the amount of light reflected from the contact that contacts the pressure sensor unit, distinguishes whether or not the contact is in contact and pressurized, and measures pressure or force while ensuring sufficient durability and size. It is a task to be solved to provide a pressure sensor unit that can be configured compactly and an insole for shoes having the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a first module for irradiating light; a second module that receives light and generates an output signal in the form of a voltage; a third module that supplies power to the first module and the second module, transmits a control signal to the first module, and receives an output signal of the second module; and a housing accommodating the first module, the second module, and the third module and made of a light-transmitting material, wherein the second module transmits light emitted from the first module through the housing. Then, let's provide a pressure sensor unit that senses the light that is reflected from the contact in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the housing and then enters the housing again and outputs a voltage proportional to the size of the detected light as an output signal.

The first module may include an infrared LED device, and the second module may include a phototransistor device.

In this case, the housing may faithfully accommodate the first module, the second module, and the third module and be made of a flexible material.

In addition, the third module may be connected to a processor for converting an output signal provided from the second module into pressure or force and a power supply unit for supplying power to the first module and the second module.

Also, the sensitivity of the second module may be set to output three levels of voltage depending on whether the contactor is contacted or pressed.

In addition, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention can provide an insole for shoes having an insole member made of a flexible material to which any one of the pressure sensor units described above is mounted.

In addition, a mounting hole for mounting the pressure sensor unit may be formed in the insole member, and the pressure sensor unit may be mounted in the mounting hole so that the light of the first module is radiated upward to the insole member.

Here, the mounting hole may be a mounting groove formed on an upper surface of the insole member.

Also, a depth of the mounting groove may be greater than a height of the pressure sensor unit.

In addition, one mounting hole may be provided at each front and rear of the insole member.

According to the pressure sensor unit and the insole for shoes having the same according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a new pressure measuring means for measuring the magnitude of pressure according to the change in the density of the contact body.

In addition, according to the pressure sensor unit according to the present invention and the insole for shoes having the same, the durability is improved compared to the conventional FSR sensor, the variation for each area is minimized, and the manufacturing is easier and the volume is more compact than the conventional pneumatic sensor. can

1 shows a pressure sensing system having a pressure sensor unit according to the present invention.
2 shows an embodiment of a pressure sensing unit according to the present invention.
3 illustrates an example of a change state of a sensor output value when a user's body contacting part approaches the pressure sensing part according to the present invention.
4 shows an example of an insole for shoes equipped with a pressure sensor unit according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an output voltage of a first pressure sensor unit on the front side of the insole and a second pressure sensor unit on the rear side of the foot of a user wearing the shoe equipped with the insole shown in FIG. 4 (c) during the stance phase. show the graph

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided so that the disclosed content will be thorough and complete, and the spirit of the invention will be sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art. Like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the specification.

1 shows a pressure sensing system 1000 having a pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a pressure sensing system 1000 having a pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention may include a pressure sensing unit 100 and a processor 200 . The processor 200 may be provided for calculation or processing to process an electrical output signal, for example, voltage, provided according to pressure from the pressure sensing unit 100 as a specific pressure or force.

In addition, the pressure sensing unit 100 may include at least one pressure sensor unit 110, and when the pressure sensing unit 100 is mounted on a shoe insole or shoe, the pressure sensor unit 110 are provided on the front and rear, respectively, and can be used to identify whether the wearer's foot is in the stance phase or swing phase during walking. A detailed explanation of this is deferred.

In addition, the pressure sensing system 1000 having the pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention may further include a main controller 300 to which the pressure value provided by the processor 200 is provided. Each component of the pressure sensing system 1000 having the pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention can be connected in various forms, such as a wired/wireless communication method and an electrical connection method.

Based on the electrical information (output voltage, etc.) generated by the pressure sensing unit 100, the processor 200 detects the wearer's plantar surface when a contact, for example, the pressure sensor unit 110 is mounted on an insole for shoes. It is possible to calculate the pressure information applied by

In detail, the processor 200 may receive electrical information from the pressure sensing unit 100 . The processor 200 may include any hardware device or software program capable of processing electrical information. For example, the processor 200 may have various configurations if it is in the form of a processor capable of processing and outputting an input signal such as a microcontroller.

In addition, the processor 200 may match electrical information transmitted from the plurality of pressure sensor units 110a and 110b with unique information such as the user's weight to specify pressure information applied by the user.

The main controller 300 may provide a pressure value as output information in a required form when the pressure sensing system 1000 is an independent pressure measuring means, and the pressure sensing system 1000 may be applied to an auxiliary robot, etc. In the case of a pressure measuring means of the robot, the controller may be the main controller.

Therefore, the control unit of the robot may control the auxiliary robot by determining the gait cycle according to the pressure information such as the plantar surface provided by the pressure sensing unit 100 .

Meanwhile, the pressure sensing system 1000 including the pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention may receive power from the power supply unit 400 .

In addition, in the pressure sensing system 1000 having the pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention, power provided from the power supply unit 400 may be distributed and transmitted. The power supply unit 400 may be provided in the form of an independent battery when the pressure sensing unit 100 is an independent pressure measuring means, or worn when the pressure sensing system 1000 is a pressure measuring means such as a plantar surface applied to an auxiliary robot. A power supply unit such as a battery provided in the robot may function as the power supply unit 400 .

As shown in Fig. 1, the pressure sensing unit 100 may be composed of a plurality of pressure sensor units 110a, 110b... In particular, the pressure of each region may be measured in a large area by distributing and disposing for each region. have.

Therefore, the pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention is mounted on an insole for shoes and can determine a posture or a gait cycle through a change in pressure for each region.

Specifically, the first pressure sensor unit 110a constituting the pressure sensing unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on an insole for shoes so as to be located in front of the user's plantar surface, and the second pressure sensor unit 110b is mounted on an insole for shoes to be located behind the user's plantar surface, and the gait cycle can be determined through the pressure value of each pressure sensor unit 110 according to whether or not the plantar surface is in contact with the user's plantar surface during walking.

Each pressure sensor unit 110 constituting the pressure sensing unit 100 may generate electrical information by outputting light toward a contact object such as a user's body and receiving light scattered from the contact object. In addition, the pressure sensor unit 110 generates electrical information based on the degree of light scattering induced by the physical change of the user's skin. To this end, the pressure sensor unit 110 may include a light emitting device such as a Laser Diode (LD) or a Light Emitting Diode (LED) that emits light. An explanation of this is deferred.

2 shows an embodiment of the pressure sensing unit 100 according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows the sensor output value when the user's body contact C approaches the pressure sensing unit 100 according to the present invention. Shows an example of a change state.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pressure sensing unit 100 may include a first module 111 , a second module 113 , a third module 115 and a housing 117 .

The pressure sensing unit 100 according to the present invention utilizes an optical sensor differently from the method used by existing pressure sensors, depending on the state of being separated from the user's body contact (C), the contacted state, and the pressurized state. The technical core is to measure the magnitude of the pressure or force applied to the pressure sensor unit 110 by the contact object by using the principle that the amount of reflected light varies according to the degree of scattering and reflection of light by the contact object.

Based on the fact that the degree of light scattering changes as the density of the user's body contact C changes after the user's finger contact surface or plantar surface is brought into contact with the pressure sensing unit 100. It is possible to collect different light information and calculate pressure information applied at the contacted part.

The user's body contact C and the pressure sensing unit 100 exchange reaction forces from the point of contact. In this case, the user's body contact C moves from the pressure sensing unit 100 in the opposite direction to the contact direction. Since pressure is applied, the density of the skin tissue layer can be increased by the pressure applied to the epidermis and endothelium of the contact body.

On the other hand, in general, since the transmittance of light irradiated to a dense medium is lowered and the reflected amount is increased, the light irradiated to the dense skin may increase the amount of light scattered from the skin compared to normal skin. In contrast, each pressure sensor unit 110 constituting the pressure sensing unit 100 according to the present invention senses the light scattered from the dense skin based on this principle and generates an electrical signal such as a voltage proportional to the amount of light. , and the processor 200 may measure the pressure applied by the user's body contact object C.

The first module 111 may include a light emitting device that emits light. More specifically, the first module 111 may include an infrared LED device, but is not limited thereto.

The second module 113 may receive light emitted from the first module 111 and reflected from the body contact object C of the user.

In detail, the second module 113 may be a light receiving element (or optical sensor) that receives reflected light and may include a phototransistor element.

Accordingly, the second module 113 including a phototransistor device may provide an electrical output signal based on the reflected and received light amount.

An output signal of the second module 113 may be transferred to the third module 115 . The third module 115 supplies power supplied from the power supply unit 400 of FIG. 1 to the first module 111 and the second module 113, and to the first module 111 the processor 200 of FIG. It may be a power and data input/output unit that transmits a control signal provided from the first module 111 and outputs an output signal provided from the second module 113 to the processor 200 of FIG. 1 .

When the user's contact object contacts the pressure sensing unit 100, the housing 117 may contact the contact object to provide pressure to the user contact object. In addition, the housing 117 may provide a space for accommodating the first to third modules 111, 113, and 115 on the inside, and the housing 117 allows light irradiated from the first module 111 to pass through. It may be made of a light-transmitting material so that it reaches a contact object such as a plantar surface and the second module 113 can receive the reflected light. If the housing is not made of a light-transmitting material, it may have a structure capable of transmitting and receiving light by forming a plurality of small openings.

The housing 117 may be a member or cover made of a dense material capable of transmitting pressure to the user's skin and having an accommodation space therein. In order to minimize pain due to pressure applied to the user's contact body, the housing 117 may be made of a flexible material such as transparent silicon.

To this end, the first to third modules 111, 113, and 115 may be filled with a transparent curable resin in a buried or accommodated state to form a solid type.

The cross-sectional shape of the housing 117 may be configured in various shapes such as a hemispherical shape or a lens shape, but if the light irradiated from the first module 111 can be received by the second module 113, the shape is limited. none.

In step I of FIG. 3, when the output voltage of the second module 113 is output as the lowest first voltage v1 and the user's contact body C approaches the pressure sensing unit 100, the first module A very part of the light provided from (111) passes through the housing and is reflected at the contact body (C) or is scattered and reflected inside the housing and can be sensed by the second module 113 again, but at this time the second module 113 ), the pressure sensing system 1000 of FIG. 1 may determine that the processor 200 does not have a contact contacting the pressure sensing unit 100.

For example, when the output value of the pressure sensing unit 100 is the first output voltage v1 in a state where the pressure sensing unit 100 of the present invention is mounted on an insole or shoe, the pressure sensing system 1000 of FIG. 1 ) can be determined by the processor 200 as a state in which the wearer is not wearing shoes or a state in which the foot surface and the pressure sensor unit 110 are not in contact even though the wearer is wearing shoes.

Step II of FIG. 3 shows a state in which the output voltage of the second module 113 is output as the second voltage v2 which is an intermediate voltage and the user's contact is in contact with the pressure sensing unit 100 .

For example, it may be assumed that the wearer wears shoes equipped with the pressure sensing unit 100 and the pressure sensor unit 110 is in contact with the plantar surface, but the weight is not transferred to the shoes.

As shown in step II of FIG. 3, when the user's contact body C contacts the pressure sensing unit 100, the reflected light of the light provided from the first module 111 increases and the second module 113 more than step I. It can be sensed in, and the second output voltage v2, which is the output value of the second module 113 at this time, in the pressure sensing system 1000 of FIG. 1, the processor 200 contacts the pressure sensing unit 100 body can be judged to exist.

The contact state, such as step II, can be determined as the swing phase of a foot that is not in contact with the ground while a user is lying down or is walking while wearing shoes or the like equipped with the pressure sensing unit 100 .

And, in step III of FIG. 3 , when the output voltage of the second module 113 is output as the highest third voltage v3 and the user's contact body C is pressed while in contact with the pressure sensing unit 100 , the skin tissue of the user's contact body can be compressed and act like a dense medium.

Therefore, the light irradiated from the first module 111 can be scattered or reflected by the user's contact object, which is dense due to a load such as body weight, and sensed by the second module 113, and in step III, the second module ( The amount of light sensed in step 113) may be greater than the amount of light sensed in step II.

Therefore, as shown in Step III of FIG. 3 , when the user's contact body C contacts the pressure sensing unit 100, the light provided from the first module 111 is emitted from the second module 113 more than the Step II. It can be sensed, and the third output voltage (v3), which is the output value of the second module 113 at this time, in the pressure sensing system 1000 of FIG. It exists, and furthermore, it can be determined that a load is loaded on the contact.

The contact state, such as step III, can be determined as a stance period of a foot in contact with the ground while a user is standing or walking while wearing shoes or the like equipped with the pressure sensing unit 100 .

In this way, the pressure sensing unit 100 is generated by the output voltage, which is an output signal proportional to the amount of light sensed by the second module 113, when the light irradiated from the first module 111 is scattered or reflected by the user's contact body. It is possible to identify the presence or absence of a user's contact object or a pressurized state of the pressure sensing unit 100 by the user's contact object, and accordingly, the user's operating state can be analyzed. As such, when the sensitivity is set so that the second module 113 outputs three levels of voltage depending on whether the contact is in contact and whether or not the contact is pressurized, it is possible to identify whether the contact is in contact with the contact and whether or not the contact is pressurized. can In addition, it is also possible to configure a method in which the sensitivity of the second module 113 is adjusted so that only the contact state and the pressurization state are distinguished, excluding whether or not the contact is in contact with the contact body.

4 shows an example of an insole 500 for shoes equipped with a pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention.

Specifically, Figure 4 (a) shows a perspective view of a shoe insole 500 according to one embodiment, Figure 4 (b) is a longitudinal direction of the shoe insole 500 shown in Figure 4 (a) A cross-sectional view is shown, and FIG. 4(c) shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an insole 500 for shoes according to another embodiment.

The pressure sensor unit 110 according to the present invention may be mounted on shoes or shoe insoles 500 and used to detect a wearer's gait cycle.

The gait cycle can be classified into a stance phase and a swing phase depending on whether the foot is in contact with the ground. Considering the structure of the body, the stance phase can be performed in such a way that the heel contacts the ground first and the forefoot is separated later.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), when the pressure sensor unit 110 is provided at the front and rear of the insole 500 for shoes, respectively, it is possible to detect the walking of the shoe wearer.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4(b) and the embodiment shown in FIG. 4(c), the pressure sensor unit 110 is exposed to the upper surface of the insole 500, depending on whether there is a step difference in the insole 500. 4 (b) is an embodiment in which the height of the top of the housing of the pressure sensor unit 110 and the height of the top of the insole are the same, and FIG. It shows an example of being buried in the lower part to have.

In the insole for shoes according to the present invention, at least one mounting hole 510 may be provided on a flexible insole member 520, and the pressure sensor unit 110 may be mounted in the mounting hole 510.

And, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the pressure sensor unit 110 may be mounted on the mounting hole 510 so that the light of the first module is upwardly exposed so that the light of the first module is irradiated upward to the insole member. have. Here, the mounting hole 510 may be configured in the form of an upwardly open mounting groove.

The mounting groove as the mounting hole 510 is composed of a structure in which the bottom diameter inside the groove is larger than the diameter of the inlet, and the pressure sensor unit, which can be configured in the form of a hemisphere or a convex lens, is separated from the mounting hole while being mounted in the mounting hole. Alternatively, an effect of preventing separation may be obtained.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 (b) is a structure in which the wearer's plantar surface naturally contacts the pressure sensor unit 110 while the wearer is wearing shoes, and the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 (c) For example, when the wearer is simply wearing shoes, the wearer's plantar surface does not contact the pressure sensor unit 110, but when the wearer walks, the wearer's plantar surface and pressure are transferred to the insole 500 during a stance phase. It may be a structure in which the sensor unit 110 is in contact.

Since the insole member 520 constituting the insole is made of a flexible and flexible silicone or resin-based foam material, when weight is applied, the plantar surface may come into contact with the pressure sensor unit to provide pressure.

In the case of the insole 500 shown in FIG. 4(c), when the wearer wearing shoes is lying down or sitting on a chair, or when the wearer's weight is not placed on the insole 500, such as during a swing phase while walking, the insole 500 shown in FIG. Similar to step I on the measurement graph, each pressure sensor unit 110 can be recognized as a non-contact state with the wearer's plantar surface.

That is, when the depth of the mounting groove as the mounting hole 510 is greater than the height of the pressure sensor unit, the bottom surface of the wearer does not come into contact with the pressure sensor unit 110 while wearing shoes, but when the wearer is walking In a stance phase in which the wearer's weight is transmitted to the insole 500, the foot surface of the wearer and the pressure sensor unit 110 may be brought into contact with each other.

That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4(b) and the embodiment shown in FIG. 4(c), when the user's body contact element C approaches or contacts the pressure sensing unit 100 shown in FIG. 3 Among the changes in the sensor output value, it can be distinguished whether or not step I can be identified.

And, although not shown on the upper surface of the insole member, a cover made of a light-transmitting material or a mesh material through which light irradiated from the first module of the pressure sensor unit is transmitted is further mounted to prevent separation or contamination of the pressure sensor unit. have.

FIG. 5 shows the first pressure sensor unit 110a at the front and the rear of the insole 500 mounted on the feet of the user wearing the shoe in which the insole 500 shown in FIG. A graph of the output voltage from the second pressure sensor unit 110b is shown.

During the wearer's gait, the stance phase is performed in which one of the wearer's feet is grounded from the rear heel of the plantar surface, the heel and forefoot are simultaneously folded, the heel is separated from the ground, and the forefoot is separated from the ground. This process is performed with both feet is repeated in

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4(c), a specific foot of a shoe wearer equipped with the insole 500 to which the first pressure sensor unit 110a and the second pressure sensor unit 110b are mounted is at the first time point t1. And at the second time point t2, the heel and forefoot contact the pressure sensor unit 110 to start outputting the second output voltage v2, and at the third time point t3 and the fourth time point t4, the heel and the forefoot contact and press the pressure sensor unit 110 to start compression.

At the fifth time point t5 and the sixth time point t6, the heel and the forefoot contact and press the pressure sensor unit 110, but the maximum weight is applied to each pressure sensor unit 110, and the maximum output voltage (v3) this can be measured.

Also, at the intersection time point tc of the sensor output values between the fifth time point t5 and the sixth time point t6, the weight is evenly distributed to the heel and forefoot during the stance phase. In addition, the first pressure sensor unit 110a and the second pressure sensor unit 110b each generate a first output voltage v1 from the seventh point in time t7 when the forefoot of the plantar surface is separated from the ground until the start of a new stance phase. It is possible to identify that the plantar surface and the pressure sensor unit 110 are in a non-contact state by outputting .

In this way, when the pressure sensor unit is semi-embedded in the fitting hole of the insole, a level difference is formed, and the weight is not put on even when wearing the shoes equipped with the insole, the output value of the pressure sensor unit 110 is first output. The plantar pressure or the ground reaction force applied to the plantar surface may be measured by subdividing into the voltage v1 , the second output voltage v2 , and the third output voltage v3 .

In addition, in the case of the insole shown in FIG. 4 (b), the first pressure sensor unit 110a and the second pressure sensor unit 110b come into contact with the forefoot and heel of the plantar surface, respectively, at the same time as the shoe is worn. Output values of the first pressure sensor unit 110a and the second pressure sensor unit 110b may be measured as a second output voltage v2 and a third output voltage v3.

That is, in consideration of the measurement environment or purpose of pressure, etc., the pressure sensor unit 110 is mounted as shown in FIG. In the case of measuring whether pressurization is separately performed, the pressure sensor unit 110 and the body contact may be configured to be spaced apart as shown in FIG. 4(c).

Although this specification has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art can variously modify and change the present invention within the scope not departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims described below. will be able to carry out Therefore, if the modified implementation basically includes the elements of the claims of the present invention, all of them should be considered to be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1: Pressure sensing system
110a: first pressure sensor
110b: second pressure sensor
111: first module
113: second module
115: third module
117 housing

Claims (10)

A first module for irradiating light; a second module that receives light and generates an output signal in the form of a voltage; a third module that supplies power to the first module and the second module, transmits a control signal to the first module, and receives an output signal of the second module; and a housing accommodating the first module, the second module, and the third module and made of a light-transmitting material, wherein the second module transmits light emitted from the first module through the housing. a pressure sensor unit that senses light that is reflected from the contact element contacting the outer circumferential surface of the housing and is incident back into the housing and outputs a voltage proportional to the size of the detected light as an output signal; and,
An insole member having at least one pressure sensor unit mounted thereon and made of a flexible material;
An insole for shoes characterized in that a mounting hole for mounting the pressure sensor unit is formed in the insole member, and the pressure sensor unit is mounted in the mounting hole so that the light of the first module is irradiated upward to the insole member. . According to claim 1,
The insole for shoes, characterized in that the first module includes an infrared LED device, and the second module includes a phototransistor device. According to claim 1,
The insole for shoes, characterized in that the housing accommodates the first module, the second module and the third module faithfully and is composed of a flexible material. According to claim 1,
The insole for shoes, characterized in that the third module is connected to a processor for converting the output signal provided from the second module into pressure or force and a power supply unit for supplying power to the first module and the second module. According to claim 1,
The insole for shoes, characterized in that the sensitivity of the second module is set to output three levels of voltage depending on whether or not the contact is contacted and pressed. According to claim 1,
The insole for shoes, characterized in that the mounting hole is formed on the upper surface of the insole member, and the diameter of the inlet is smaller than the diameter of the bottom surface. According to claim 6,
The insole for shoes, characterized in that the depth of the mounting groove as the mounting hole is greater than the height of the pressure sensor unit. According to claim 1,
The insole for shoes, characterized in that the mounting hole is provided on the front and rear sides of the insole member, respectively. delete delete

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